AMERICAN  HISTORY*! 


^~vS^^ 


'„  1  T 

v, 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

GIFT  OF 

Emily  L.   Turner 


: 


ET 176 


PREFACE. 


IT  is  the  design  of  this  work  to  narrate,  in  a 
clear,  simple,  and  intelligible  manner,  the  leading 
events  connected  with  the  history  of  our  country, 
from  the  earliest  periods,  down,  as  nearly  as  prac 
ticable,  to  the  present  time.  The  several  volumes 
will  be  illustrated  with  all  necessary  maps  and 
with  numerous  engravings,  and  the  work  is  in 
tended  to  comprise,  in  a  distinct  and  connected 
narrative,  all  that  it  is  essential  for  the  general 
reader  to  understand  in  respect  to  the  subject  of 
it,  while  for  those  who  have  time  for  more  extended 
studies,  it  may  serve  as  an  introduction  to  other 
and  more  copious  sources  of  information. 

The  author  hopes  also  that  the  work  may  be 
found  useful  to  the  young,  in  awakening  in  their 
minds  an  interest  in  the  history  of  their  country, 

872 


VI  PREFACE. 

and  a  desire  for  further  instruction  in  respect  to  it. 
While  it 'is  doubtless  true  that  such  a  subject  can 
be  really  grasped  only  by  minds  in  some  degree 
mature,  still  the  author  believes  that  many  young 
persons,  especially  such  as  are  intelligent  and 
thoughtful  in  disposition  and  character,  may  derive 
both  entertainment  and  instruction  from  a  perusal 
of  these  pages. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

TYPES     OF     LIFE     IN     AMERICA. 

PAGH 

Subject  of  the  Volume. — Origin  of  Vegetable  and  Animal 
Life  in  America. — Means  of  Communication  with  the  Old 
World. — The  Plants  and  Animals  of  America  Generally 
New. — Man  Admitted  to  be  an  Exception. — What  is  a 
Species  ? — The  Distinction  of  Species  very  Permanent. — 
Evidence  of  Ancient  Records. — Evidence  of  Fossil  Re 
mains. — Opinions  of  Naturalists  and  Philosophers. — 
Examples  of  Diversity. — The  General  Types  the  Same. — 
The  Mystery  General.— The  Two  Principal  Theories- 
Inquiries  into  this  Subject  Right  and  Proper. — The  Tes 
timony  of  Scripture. — Means  of  Transportation  for  Ani 
mals  and  Plants. — Glacial  Action. — The  Glacial  Period 
of  North  America. .  15 


CHAPTER  II. 

FACE     OF     THE     COUNTRY. 

The  Map. — The  Lake  Country. — Fur-bearing  Animals. — 
The  Indian  Inhabitants. — Influence  of  the  Moral  In 
stincts.— The  Great  Central  Valley.— The  Soil  of  the 


iii  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Great  Valley. — Formation  of  Islands  in  the  River. — 
Swamps.— The  Old  Forsaken  Channels.— The  Mouth  of 
the  Mississippi. — The  Prairies. — The  Northern  Atlantic 
Slope.— Native  Animals.— Man.— The  Southern  Atlantic 
Slope. — Character  of  the  Coast. — The  Western  Slope. — 
The  Great  Salt  Desert.— The  Deposits  of  Salt.— The 
Diggers. — Climate  of  the  Country. — Recapitulation 47 


CHAPTER  III. 

REMARKABLE      PLANTS. 

Distinction  of  Indigenous  and  Exotic. — The  Cotton  Plant. — 
Many  Species. — The  Sea  Island  Cotton. — Cotton  In 
tended  for  the  Clothing  of  Men. — Rice. — Maize. — An 
Indian  Tradition. — The  Distinction  of  Exogenous  and 
Endogenous. — The  Tobacco  Plant. — The  Habit  of  Using 
Tobacco. — Botanical  Name. — The  Potato. — The  Magno 
lia. — The  Mahogany  Tree 75 


CHAPTER  IV. 

REMARKABLE     ANIMALS. 

The  Beaver. — The  Beaver's  Teeth. — Fame  of  the  Beaver. — 
His  System  of  Building. — The  Houses. — Working  Hours. 
— Other  Fur-bearing  Animals. — Curious  Phenomenon. 
— The  Buffalo. — Annual  Migration. — Swimming  the 
Streams.— Crossing  on  the  Ice.— Trails.— Use  of  the  Buf 
falo.— The  Turkey.— The  Alligator.— The  Eagle.— Coch- 


CONTENTS.  IX 

PAGE 

ineal. — The  Rattlesnake  and  Humming  Bird. — The 
Rattle. — The  Rattlesnake  more  Sinned  Against  than 
Sinning. — He  Acts  always  on  the  Defensive. — The  Hum 
ming  Bird. — Vibrations  Producing  Sound. — The  Hum 
ming  Bird's  Mode  of  Life.— Gentleness  of  Disposition. ...  97 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE     INDIAN     RACES. 

Question  of  the  Origin  of  the  Different  Races  of  Men. — Dis 
tinction  of  Races. — Causes  of  the  Differences  Observed.— 
Important  Conclusion. — The  Distinction  of  Race  Fixed 
and  Permanent. — Objection  to  this  View. — The  "Weak 
Especially  Entitled  to  Protection  from  the  Strong. — Ori 
ginal  Peopling  of  the  Continent. — Crossing  the  Northern 
Seas. — Traveling  upon  the  Ice. — The  Pacific  Islanders. — 
Currents  of  the  Ocean. — Antiquity  of  the  Aboriginal 
Population  of  America. — Ancient  Nations  of  North  Amer 
ica. — Durability  of  Earthworks. — Ancient  Fields. — The 
Copper  Mines.— The  Mounds  of  Florida.— Unquestion 
able  Antiquity  of  Many  of  the  Mounds.— Conclusion 129 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE     INDIAN     FAMILY. 

The  Institution  of  Marriage. — General  Law  of  Pairing. — 
Application    to     the    Case    of    Man. — Construction    of 
Dwellings. — Coverings. — Interior  of  the  Lodges. — Indian 
1* 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Housekeeping. — Removals.  —  Canoes.  —  Log  Canoes. — 
Clearing  Land. — Tilling  the  Land. — Preparing  the  Corn 
for  Food. — Mode  of  Boiling. — Varied  Occupations  of  the 
"Women. — Moccasins. — Excursions  of  the  Women. — Edu 
cation  of  the  Children. — Stories  for  Children. — The  Child 
that  Turned  into  a  Wolf. .155 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MECHANIC      ARTS. 

Native  Ingenuity. — Manufacture  of  Weapons. — Stone-head 
ed  Mace. — Military  Ornaments. — Hunting  and  Fishing. — 
Solitary  Habits  of  the  Indian. — Summer  Hunting. — Night 
Hunting. — Snow  Shoes. — Adventures  in  the  Woods. — 
Fishing. — Various  Manufactures. — Painting  the  Face. — 
The  Tikkinagon. — Fire. — Wampum. — Wampum  used  for 
Records  and  Documents. — Treaties  and  Public  Records. 
—Pictorial  Writing 183 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

INDIAN     LEGENDS     AND     TALES. 

Travelers  among  the  Indians. — Origin  of  Man. — Old  Boreas 
and  Shingebiss. — The  Story  of  Ampata. — Trap  Set  for 
Catching  the  Sun. — Hunting  in  Heaven. — The  Story 
of  Moowio. — Old  Red  Head. — How  Algon  Gained  his 
Wife.  . ,  .218 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER  IX. 

CONSTITUTION  AND  CHARACTER  OF  THE  INDIAN  MIND. 

PA.GK 

Adaptations  Observed  in  tho  Forms  of  Animal  Life. — Men 
tal  Adaptations. — Designs  of  Divine  Providence  in  Re 
spect  to  Alan. — The  Great  Divisions  in  tho  Human  Family. 
— Constitutional  Diversities. — Mental  and  Physical  Con 
stitution  of  the  American  Aborigines. — The  Taciturnity 
of  tho  Indians. — Cruelty. — Tho  Father  Dying  for  his 
Son. — The  Practice  of  Scalping. — Origin  of  tho  Prac 
tice. — Customs  Connected  with  the  Practice  of  Scalping. 
— Treatment  of  Women. — Polygamy. — Intellectual  Supe 
riority  of  the  Caucasian  Race. — The  Two  Great  Means  of 
Civilization .  252 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS. 

Great  Changes  Produced. — Changes  in  Respect  to  Animal 
Life. — Changes  in  Respect  to  Plants. — Changes  in  tho 
Races  of  Men.— The  Displacement  of  One  Race  by 
Another  not  Necessarily  Attended  with  Suffering. — 
Difficulties  that  Opposed  the  Amalgamation  of  the  Two 
Races. — Fixedness  of  the  Indian  Tastes  and  Habits. — 
Present  Condition  of  the  "Western  Tribes. — The  Mandan 
Lodges. — Different  Causes  for  the  Aversion  of  the  In 
dians  to  Live  Like  the  Whites. — The  Kennebec  Indian 
and  his  Child. — The  Feeling  of  Repulsion  that  Exists 
between  the  Different  Races  of  Man  not  Necessarily  a 
Prejudice.— The  Universal  Brotherhood  of  Man 272 


LIST    OF    ENGRAVINGS. 


DESIGNER.  PAOH 

THE  ADVANCE  OF  CIVILIZATION G.  Perkins Frontispiece. 

LAMMEKGEYER  OF  THE  ALPS Chas.  Parsons 32 

CONDOR  OF  THE  ANDES H.  L.  Stephens S3 

MAP,  PHYSICAL  FEATURES  OF  THE  COUNTRY 46 

FORSAKEN  CHANNELS G.  Perkins 67 

THE  SAVAGE  AND  THE  COTTON *G.  Perkins 77 

GATHERING  THE  WILD  RICE John  R.  Chapin 8t 

BEAVERS  AT  WORK II.  W.  Herrick 08 

THE  BUFFALO  SKIN  BOAT J.  R.  Chapin HO 

ARCTIC  EMIGRATION H.  W.  Herrick 141 

CLEARING  LAND Chas.  Parsons 1C9 

INDIAN  CHIEF  ix  nis  MILITARY  DRESS.  ..H.  W.  Herrick 189 

WALKING  ON  SNOW  SHOES F.  O.  C.  Darley 195 

Bow  AND  ARROW  FISHING E.  F.  Mullin 200 

SPECIMEN  OF  WRITING 215 

THE  CHILD  AND  THE  SNOW  BIBDS H.  W.  Herrick 229 

ESSENTIALLY  UNCHANGED H.  W.  Herrick 280 


ABORIGINAL  AMERICA, 


CHAPTER   I. 

TYPES     OF     LIFE     IN     AMERICA.. 

SUBJECT  OP  THE  VOLUME. 

THE  first  step  to  be  taken  in  studying  the  his 
tory  of  our  country  is  to  form  some  clear  and 
proper  conception  of  the  characteristics  and  condi 
tion  of  the  territory  which  is  now  occupied  by  the 
American  people,  as  it  existed  when  first  discovered 
and  explored  by  Europeans.  The  aboriginal  con 
dition  of  the  country,  therefore,  anterior  to  its 
occupation  by  white  men,  and  the  character  and 
condition  of  the  native  tribes  which  then  inhabited 
it,  will  be  the  subject  of  this  volume. 

ORIGIN  OF  VEGETABLE   AND  ANIMAL  LIFE  IN  AMERICA. 

When  the  new  world  was  first  discovered  it  was 
found  to  be,  like  the  old,  well  stocked  with  plants 
and  animals,  and  inhabited  by  a  great  many  tribes 
and  nations  of  men ;  and  yet  the  plants  and  ani- 


16  TYPES   OF   LIFE   IN   AMERICA. 

mals,  if  not  the  men,  were  all  essentially  differ 
ent'  from  those  known  in  the  old  world.  This 
was  unexpected;  it  was  thought  to  be  quite  re 
markable,  and  it  added  greatly  to  the  difficulty  of 
deciding  the  question,  which,  of  course,  at  once 
arose,  in  respect  to  the  origin  of  these  plants  and 
animals  and  men,  and  to  the  manner  in  which 
they  came  in  possession  of  a  continent  thus  cut 
off  apparently  from  all  intercourse  and  connection 
with  the  rest  of  the  world. 

For  the  American  continent  is  entirely  sepa 
rated  from  the  old.  The  nearest  approach  which 
it  makes  to  it  in  any  part  is  at  Beh ring's  Straits, 
on  the  north-west,  where  it  is  divided  from  the 
Asiatic  continent  by  a  channel  about  forty  miles 
wide. 

MEANS   OF    COMMUNICATION   WITH   THE   OLD   WORLD. 

Some  animals  and  perhaps  some  plants,  and 
most  certainly  man,  may  be  supposed  to  have  been 
transported  across  such  a  channel  of  water  as  this 
of  Behring's  Straits,  either  by  boats  made  by  the 
savages  living  on  the  coasts,  or  possibly  by  means 
of  ice,  either  upon  moving  fields  driven  by  the 
wind,  or  upon  the  solid  surface,  at  some  time  when 
the  whole  channel  was  entirely  frozen  over. 

There  is  also  at  some  distance  south  of  Behr 
ing's  Straits  a  remarkable  chain  of  islands,  called 


TYPES   OF  LIFE   IN   AMERICA.  17 

the  Aleutian  Islands,  which  extend  in  a  regular 
and  continuous  line  from  the  American  to  the 
Asiatic  shore.  These  islands  are  nearly  all  in 
habited,  and  the  natives  navigate  the  seas  around 
them  in  boats  made  of  a  frame-work  of  wood  or 
bone,  covered  externally  with  seal  skins. 

These  islands  are  volcanic.  They  contain  now 
numerous  volcanoes,  some  active  and  some  extinct, 
and  also  hot  springs  and  other  indications  of  sub 
terranean  fire.  They  bear  no  trees,  but  they  pro 
duce  a  great  variety  of  animals.  They  look,  upon 
the  map,  like  a  row  of  stepping  stones,  placed  on 
purpose  to  enable  men  and  animals  from  the  old 
world  to  make  their  way  to  the  new. 

It  is  perhaps  possible  to  imagine  also  that  a 
company  of  men  might  have  been  forced  accident 
ally  to  sea  in  some  large  canoe  from  the  coast  of 
Africa,  or  on  the  other  side  from  some  of  the 
islands  of  the  Pacific,  and  so  driven  across  the  in 
tervening  water,  and  landed  upon  the  American 
shores.  It  is  true  that  it  would  be  exceedingly 
improbable  that  any  such  combination  of  circum 
stances  should  occur  as  could  lead  to  such  a  result. 
The  canoe  or  boat  must  have  been  very  large, 
the  stock  of  provisions  very  great,  and  the  wind, 
while  it  must  not  have  been  violent  enough  to 
engulf  the  boat,  must  still  have  blown  very  long 


18  TYPES  OF  LIEE   IN  AMERICA. 

and  very  steadily  to  have  carried  a  company  of 
men  so  far  before  they  all  perished  of  hunger  and 
thirst.  All  this  would  have  been  very  improbable. 
Still  it  would  be  difficult  to  show  that  it  could 
not  occur.  From  the  hundreds  and  perhaps 
thousands  of  boats  full  of  savages  that  have  been 
blown  off  to  sea  from  the  coasts  of  Africa,  or  from 
the  South  Sea  Islands,  it  would  be  impossible  to 
prove  positively  that  there  could  never  have  been 
one  that  by  any  chance  could  have  reached  the 
American  shores. 

There  is  still  another  mode  by  which  we  can 
imagine  the  animal  and  vegetable  life  of  America 
to  have  been  communicated  to  it  from  other  re 
gions,  and  that  is,  by  supposing  that  there  was  in 
former  ages  some  direct  connection  between  the 
two  continents  by  a  tract  of  land  which  has  since 
become  submerged.  It  is  well  known  now  that 
the  crust  of  the  earth  is  not  in  a  stable  condition. 
It  is  subject  to  changes  and  movements  of  various 
kinds,  which  are  now  going  forward  all  the  time, 
and  have  probably  always  been  going  forward.  In 
some  places  the  land  is  slowly  rising ;  in  others  it 
is  slowly  subsiding.  There  are  many  places  in  the 
world  where  towns  and  cities  which  formerly  stood 
high  and  dry  on  the  land  are  now  under  water. 
The  land  has  slowly  subsided,  so  that  the  sea  at 


TYPES   OF   LIFE   IX    AMERICA.  19 

the  present  time  flows  over  it,  and  people  passing 
in  boats  now  look  down  and  see  the  old  foundations, 
and  fragments  of  the  fallen  walls  and  columns,  at 
the  bottom. 

The  rising  and  sinking  of  the  land  in  this  way 
can  only  be  directly  and  positively  proved  in  places 
which  lie  along  the  sea  shore,  for  nowhere  else 
is  there  any  exact  standard  of  comparison  by  which 
the  rising  or  falling  may  be  measured.  But  it  is 
now  generally  believed  by  geologists  and  philoso 
phers  that  a  state  of  gradual  motion,  rising  in  some 
places  and  sinking  in  others,  is  the  natural  and 
constant  condition,  or,  as  it  is  more  scientifically 
expressed,  the  normal  condition  of  the  strata  which 
form  the  crust  of  the  globe.  Of  the  causes  which 
lead  to  this  state  of  things  it  would  be  out  of  place 
to  speak  here,  but  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  fact ; 
and  this  action  is  in  no  part  of  the  world  going 
on  so  actively  and  with  so  sensible  an  effect  as 
on  some  of  the  coasts  of  America. 

Now,  although  these  changes  of  level  proceed 
in  an  extremely  gradual  manner,  so  that  the  in 
habitants  tho.t  dwell  upon  the  territory  thus  slowly 
rising  or  falling  are,  in  most  cases,  wholly  un 
conscious  of  the  motion,  still  the  effect  might  be 
sufficient,  in  the  course  of  forty  or  fifty  centuries, 
to  submerge  a  very  extensive  tract  of  land,  which 


20  TYPES   OF   LIFE    IN    AMERICA. 

.  in  remote  ages  may  have  formed  a  connection 
between  the  American  continent  and  other  lands 
lying  to  the  eastward  or  westward  of  it. 

THE   PLANTS   AND   ANIMALS   OF   AMERICA    GENERALLY   NEW. 

These  and  various  other  similar  theories  were 
devised  in  former  times  in  endeavors  to  contrive 
some  way  of  bringing  plants  and  animals  from 
other  countries  to  America ;  but  they  have  been 
generally  considered  unsatisfactory,  since  on  coming 
fully  to  examine  the  plants  and  animals  living  here, 
they  were  found  to  be,  as  it  seemed,  essentially 
different  from  those  found  in  other  countries,  so 
different  as  to  render  it  very  improbable,  accord 
ing  to  the  ideas  on  this  subject  that  have  hitherto 
generally  prevailed,  that  they  could  ever  be  de 
scended  from  the  same  stock,  at  least  by  ordinary 
generation.  The  fauna  and  the  flora  were  both 
found  to  be  in  general  essentially  dissimilar. 

We  say  in  general,  for  there  are  some  animals, 
such  as  birds,  that  might  easily  fly  across  the 
ocean,  and  sea-weeds,  that  might  drift  across,  and 
polar  animals,  such  as  bears,  seals,  foxes  and  dogs, 
and  the  like,  which  go  and  come  as  they  will,  all 
over  the  Arctic  seas,  that  were  found  common  to 
both  worlds.  With  a  moderate  number  of  ex- 


TYPES   OF   LIFE   IN   AMERICA.  21 

ccptions  such  as  these,  however,  the  plants  and 
animals  found  in  America  proved  on  examination 
to  be  entirely  new. 

By  the  fauna  of  a  country  is  meant  the  system 
of  animals  that  inhabit  it.  The  flora  is  its  sys 
tem  of  plants.  Now,  inasmuch  as  both  the  fauna 
and  the  flora  of  America  were  so  essentially  differ 
ent  from  those  of  the  old  world,  that,  so  far  as 
could  be  judged  from  all  that  was  known  of  the 
propagation  of  plants  and  animals,  and  of  the 
changes  which  they  may  undergo  from  the  influ 
ence  of  climate  and  soil,  and  other  conditions,  the 
one  system,  in  the  opinion  of  naturalists,  could  not 
have  been  produced  from  the  other,  it  seemed  to 
be  wholly  useless  to  attempt  to  contrive  means 
by  which  the  progenitors  of  the  present  races 
in  America  could  have  been  wafted  across  the 
ocean,  or  could  have  migrated  by  means  of  coun 
tries  and  territories  which  once  existed,  but  are 
now  submerged. 

MAN  ADMITTED  TO  BE  AN  EXCEPTION. 

This  reasoning,  however,  applied  only  to  plants 
and  to  inferior  animals,  but  not  to  man;  for  the 
races  of  men  found  upon  this  continent  were  deemed 
by  naturalists  to  be  of  the  same  species  with  all  the 
other  races  now  existing  in  the  world :  that  is,  the 


22  TYPES   OF   LIFE    IN    AMERICA. 

difference  between  the  different  races  of  men  were 
judged  to  be  not  specific  differences,  that  is,  not 
such  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  their  all  being 
deduced  from  one  original  pair.  This  has  always 
been  the  general  opinion  among  naturalists,  and  in 
their  systems  of  classification  all  the  various  races 
of  men  are  classed  as  one  species.  Man,  there 
fore,  it  has  always  been  admitted,  may  have  been 
brought  to  America  over  the  ice  at  Behring's 
Straits,  or  by  boats  blown  off  from  the  coast  of 
Africa,  or  from  the  islands  in  the  Pacific  ;  but  the 
general  stocking  of  the  country  with  its  countless 
thousands  of  species,  both  of  animal  and  vegetable 
life,  it  was  thought  could  not  be  thus  explained. 

WHAT  IS   A   SPECIES  ? 

The  degree  of  probability  that  the  present  plants 
and  animals  of  America  could  not  have  been  de 
rived,  within  a  modern  period,  and  by  direct  de 
scent,  from  those  of  the  old  world,  depends,  of 
course,  upon  the  degree  of  difference  there  is  be 
tween  them,  because  there  is  a  certain  degree  of 
difference,  and  that  not  small,  which  changes  of 
climate  and  soil,  and  of  other  conditions  of  that 
kind  will  account  for ;  but  the  difference  in  question 
was  found  to  be  very  great  indeed.  It  is  a  specific 
difference,  that  is,  a  difference  in  the  species. 


TYPES   OF   LIFE    IX    AMERICA.  23 

A  species  of  plants  or  animals,  as  the  term  has 
been  generally  used  by  naturalists,  comprises  all 
such  individuals  as  are  so  similar  to  each  other  that 
we  may  suppose  them  all  to  have  proceeded  from 
one  common  parentage,  and  so  dissimilar  from  all 
others  that  they  could  not  have  been  produced  from 
the  others,  nor  the  others  produced  from  them,  by 
ordinary  generation. 

Whether  there  be  or  not  some  extraordinary 
mode  by  which  at  rare  and  distant  intervals,  and 
under  conditions  seldom  occurring,  and  which  have 
not  occurred  under  the  observation  of  men,  by 
which  a  new  species  can  arise,  having  its  origin. 
in  some  way  or  other,  in  a  former  species,  in  the 
same  sense  as  now  a  new  individual,  of  the  same 
species,  has  its  origin  in  a  former  individual  of  the 
same  species,  by  the  production  of  a  seed  or  an 
egg,  for  example  ;  or  whether  it  may  not  bo  pos 
sible  that  in  an  exceedingly  great  length  of  time, 
and  by  means  of  a  very  long-continued  accumula 
tion  of  minute  and  almost  imperceptible  changes, 
one  species  should  be  transformed  into  another,  or, 
by  branching,  give  origin  to  several  others,  adapted 
to  new  and  peculiar  circumstances  arising  in  the 
world's  history,  are  questions  which  are  now  greatly 
agitated  among  the  learned,  and  may  not  soon  be 
settled.  All  we  know  is,  that  the  plants  and  ani- 


24  TYPES    OF   LIFE    IN    AMERICA. 

mals  throughout  the  world  exist  in  species,  each 
one  of  which  stands  at  present  distinct  and  isol 
ated,  wholly  apart  from  all  the  rest,  and  one  can 
not  be  transformed  into  another  by  ordinary  gen 
eration,  through  changes  of  soil  and  climate,  or  any 
other  causes  whatever  known  to  man,  within  so 
short  a  period  as  six  thousand  years. 

The  apple,  for  instance,  is  one  species,  and  the 
pear  is  another.  In  many  respects  they  are  simi 
lar  to  each  other,  and  each  may  be  changed  by 
cultivation  and  by  the  operation  of  other  causes  a 
great  deal,  but  by  no  possibility  can  one  be  derived 
from  the  other.  By  different  modes  of  cultivation, 
by  different  selections  of  seeds;  by  changes  in  soil, 
and  by  other  such  means,  a  horticulturist  may 
vary  the  character  of  his  apples  very  much.  lie 
may  produce  largo  apples  and  small  apples,  sweet 
apples  and  sour  apples,  apples  with  a  skin  red, 
green,  yellow,  or  brown,  but  he  can  never  produce 
a  pear.  The  apple,  under  all  its  modifications, 
will  remain  an  app]e  still.  It  is  a  species  by  itself, 
separated  from  all  other  species  whatever  by  a 
fixed  and  permanent  bound,  which  it  is  impossible, 
as  has  always  been  supposed,  that  it  can  ever  pass. 

It  is  the  same  with  animals.  Each  one  is  sub 
ject  to  a  great  many  modifications  in  respect  to  its 
form,  its  size,  its  color,  and  even  its  faculties,  but 


TYPES   OF   LIFE    IN   AMERICA.  25 

through  all  these  changes  each  one  remains  en 
tirely  within  its  own  bounds,  as  it  were.  The 
distinguishing  characteristics  of  the  species  remain 
unchanged.  Take,  for  instance,  any  species  of  the 
dog.  We  may,  perhaps,  by  means  of  differences 
of  treatment,  of  food,  of  climate,  or  of  immediate 
parentage,  procure  big  dogs  and  little  dogs,  weak 
dogs  and  strong  dogs,  gentle  dogs  and  fierce  dogs, 
all  proceeding  from  the  same  original  stock,  but 
we  can  have  no  cats,  nor  anything  that  shall  bear 
the  least  specific  resemblance  to  a  cat. 

THE    DISTINCTION   OF    SPECIES   VERY   PERMANENT. 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  said  that  although  in  the 
comparatively  short  periods  of  time  that  have  been 
covered  by  the  experiments  and  observations  which 
have  been  made  by  man,  the  transformation  of  one 
species  into  another  may  have  been  impossible, 
still  such  changes  may  have  been  effected  in  longer 
periods,  and  that  the  various  forms  of  animal  and 
vegetable  life  which  now  exist  upon  the  earth 
may  have  proceeded  from  some  common  origin,  or 
at  least  from  some  moderate  number  of  original 
types  existing  in  former  ages.  And,  indeed,  this 
may  possibly  be  so.  But  there  seems  to  be  quite 
satisfactory  evidence  to  prove  that  the  distinction 
of  species  is  as  permanent  in  respect  to  the  past 


26  TYPES   OF   LIFE    IN   AMERICA. 

and  the  future,  at  least  for  very  long  periods,  as 

it  is  decisive  at  the  present  time. 

EVIDENCE    OF   ANCIENT    RECORDS. 

In  the  first  place,  we  have  in  Egyptian  and 
Assyrian  monuments,  which  go  back  with  their 
records  several  thousand  years — much  more  than 
half  the  time,  according  to  the  usually  received 
opinion,  since  the  earth  was  stocked  with  the 
present  races  of  animals — many  drawings  and 
other  representations  of  plants  and  animals  as  they 
existed  then,  and  even  seeds,  in  some  cases,  found 
in  the  wrappings  of  Egyptian  mummies,  all  of 
which  show  that  these  oknts  and  animals,  and  even 
the  races  of  men,  were  specifically  the  same  then 
as  now.  There  have  been  no  changes  whatever 
that  encroach  at  all  upon  the  limits  and  bounds  by 
which  the  different  species  are  separated  from  each 
other  at  the  present  day,  or  confuse  the  lines  of 
demarcation  in  any  degree.  There  is  no  approach 
of  one  type  toward  another,  nor  any  tendency  to 
such  an  approach.  Now,  if  a  change  could  be 
effected  in  the  specific  character  of  a  plant  or  of 
an  animal,  in  any  limited  series  of  generations, 
we  should  be  very  likely  to  find  evidences  of 
it  in  a  period  of  three  or  four  thousand  years, 
especially  in  the  case  of  such  animals  as  arrive  at 


TYPES   OF   LIFE    IN   AMERICA.  27 

maturity  in  a  short  time,  and  thus  in  any  given 
period  reckon  as  many  generations  as  years.  Be 
tween  the  bird  carved  upon  an  Egyptian  or 
Assyrian  slab,  and  its  representative  at  the  present 
day,  probably  three  thousand  generations  may  have 
intervened,  and  yet  the  present  living  specimen  is 
specifically  identical  with  the  delineation  of  its 
ancestor.  The  great  comparative  anatomist  Cuvier 
examined  the  mummy  of  an  ibis,  from  three  to  four 
thousand  years  old,  comparing  it  minutely  with 
a  living  bird  of  the  present  day.  and  found  the 
two  specimens  in  all  respects  identically  the 
same. 

There  is  also  a  bass-relief  from  the  ruins  of 
Babylon,  with  a  dog  represented  upon  it,  which  is 
found  by  naturalists  to  be  identical  with  a  species 
of  the  dog  existing  in  Asia  at  the  present  day. 

EVIDENCE   OF   FOSSIL   REMAINS. 

But  we  have  still  more  conclusive  evidence  than 
this  derived  from  ancient  monuments  of  the  very 
great  permanence  of  the  characteristics  by  which 
different  species  of  plants  and  animals  are  dis 
tinguished  from  each  other,  in  the  fossil  remains 
which  exist  in  the  strata  of  the  earth.  By  means 
of  these  our  observations  upon  the  forms  of  vege 
table  and  animal  life  which  have  existed  upon  our 


23  TYPES   OF   LIFE    IN   AMERICA. 

globe  may  be  carried  back  to  an  immense  antiquity, 
and  extended  over  so  vast  a  number  and  variety 
of  species  as  to  furnish  us,  as  it  has  always  been 
supposed,  with  all  the  means  of  information  on  this 
subject  that  can  be  desired.  It  has  been  thought 
to  be  fully  proved  by  these  observations  that  every 
species  which  exists  upon  the  earth  remains  un 
changed  so  long  as  it  exists.  When  at  length  its 
period  has  expired,  it  disappears  from  the  field, 
while  new  ones  are  continually  arising  to  take  the 
place  of  those  that  are  gone.  But  no  one  passes, 
by  gradations,  into  any  other ;  and  the  lines  of  dis 
tinction  by  which  each  is  separated  from  all  the 
rest  remain  sharp  and  well-defined  from  the  be 
ginning  to  the  end. 

OPINIONS   OP   NATURALISTS   AND    PHILOSOPHERS. 

At  least,  this  has  been  hitherto  the  view  which 
naturalists  and  philosophers  have  almost  unani 
mously  taken  of  this  subject,  though  there  have  not 
been  wanting  writers  who  have  maintained  the 
contrary  opinion.  Notwithstanding  the  evidence 
furnished  by  the  appearance  of  fossil  remains, 
that  the  lines  of  demarcation  separating  the  differ 
ent  species  are  absolutely  and  forever  impassable, 
there  have  been  some  advocates  of  the  theory  that 
all  the  present  races  of  animals  may  have  been  de- 


TYPES   OF   LIFE    IN    AMERICA.  29 

rived  by  insensible  gradations  from  a  few  prim 
ordial  types.  This  theory  has  very  recently  been 
brought  forward  anew  in  a  form  to  attract  general 
attention.  Still,  so  unanimous  and  so  decisive  has 
been  the  testimony  of  geologists  in  respect  to  tlie 
evidence  furnished  by  the  fossil  remains,  and  so  in 
consistent  is  it  with  the  development  theory,  as  it 
is  called,  that  very  great  changes  must  take  place 
in  the  opinions  of  naturalists  in  respect  to  the  true 
import  of  the  geological  records  before  this  opinion 
can  be  generally  received. 

But  however  the  great  question  in  respect  to  the 
absolute  and  perpetual  permanence  of  the  distinc 
tion  of  species  may  bo  ultimately  decided,  there  is 
no  doubt  that  all  naturalists  fully  concur  in  the 
opinion  that  this  permanence  is,  at  all  events,  so 
great  as  entirely  to  preclude  the  possibility  that 
the  American  species  of  plants  and  animals  can 
have  descended  from  the  stocks  of  the  old  world 
within  so  short  a  period  as  six  thousand  years. 
Some  other  supposition  must,  therefore,  be  made 
than  that  the  forms  of  life  existing  here  could  have 
been  derived,  within  that  period,  by  ordinary  gen 
eration  from  those  prevailing  in  other  portions  of 
the  world.  Some  of  the  principal  suppositions 
which  have  been  made  will  be  presently  alluded  to. 


30  TYPES   OP   LIFE   IN   AMERICA. 

EXAMPLES   OP   DIVERSITY. 

Some  of  the  American  plants  and  animals  at 
tracted  great  attention  in  Europe  when  they  were 
first  made  known  there,  being  recognized  as  entire 
ly  new,  and  found  to  be  quite  peculiar  in  charac 
ter.     The  potato  was  one ;  the  turkey  was  another. 
No  turkey  was   ever  known  to  exist   in  Europe, 
Asia,  or  Africa  before  that  time,  and  no  fossil  re 
mains  of  such  an  animal  have  ever  been  discover 
ed  there.     The  tobacco  plant  was  another  species 
that  was  originally  first  found  in  America,  though 
it  has  since  become  extensively  diffused  throughout 
the  world.     A  more  particular  account  of  some  of 
these  plants  and  animals  will  be  given  in  future 
chapters.     They  are  only  mentioned   here  as  illus 
trations  of  the  great  truth,  that  when  this  country 
wTas    first   explored  by  European   visitors    an  en 
tirely  new  series  of  forms  of  vegetable  and  animal 
life  was  found  to  prevail  here,  and  such   as  could 
not  have  resulted  from  any  of  the  forms  that  pre 
vail  in  the  old  world,  within  the  period  of  six  thou 
sand  years,  through  the  operation  of  any  laws  that 
are   known  to   us,  in   respect  to   the   relation  of 
parent  and  offspring. 

THE  GENERAL  TYPES  THE  SAME. 

And  yet,  though   the  plants  and  animals    that 
are  found  in  America  are  all  different,  and  seem  to 


TYPES   OF   LIFE   IN    AMERICA.  31 

be  essentially  different,  so  far  as  relates  to  deriva 
tion  from  the  same  parentage  within  any  moderate 
period,  .from  those  of  the  old  world,  it  is  a  very  cu 
rious  and  a  very  significant  fact,  that  there  is  a  very 
close  analogy  between  the  two  great  stocks — an 
analogy  so  close  as  to  furnish  very  strong  reason 
to  believe  that  they  must  have  had  a  common 
origin,  or  at  least  have  derived  their  existence  from 
some  common  law.  All,  or  nearly  all,  the  great 
types  of  animal  and  vegetable  life  which  are  known 
in  the  old  world,  have  their  representatives  in  the 
new,  and  yet  no  particular  species  are  so  repre 
sented.  While  there  is  a  yen  eric  similarity,  there 
is  also  a  specific  difference.  We  scarcely  know 
which  excites  most  our  wonder  and  curiosity,  the 
analogy  in  the  great  types,  or  the  total,  or  almost 
total  diversity  in  individual  species.  We  say  al 
most  total,  for,  in  addition  to  the  exceptions  already 
referred  to,  by  the  time  that  the  fauna  and  flora 
of  America  came  to.be  fully  examined,  great  num 
bers  of  animals  had  been  brought  over,  either  by 
nccident  or  design,  from  Europe,  and  mingled  with 
the  animals  in  America;  and  there  are  many 
plants  which  are  now  found  growing  wild  in  va 
rious  parts  of  the  country,  and  seem  to  be  natives, 
but  which  are  identical  in  species  with  those  grow 
ing  in  Europe.  It  is  inferred  in  such  cases  that 


62  TYPES   OF   LIFE   IN   AMERICA. 

the  seeds  were  originally  brought  from  the  old 
world,  though  perhaps  it  cannot  in  all  cases  be 
positively  proved  that  they  were.  It  may  however 
be  said  with  certainty,  that,  as  a  general  rule,  of 


LAMMERGEYEE   OF   THE    A.LP8. 


the  hundreds  and  thousands  of  plants  and  animals, 
natives  of  America,  that  have  been  examined  and 
described,  all,  or  nearly  all  are  essentially  different 
from  those  of  corresponding  type  produced  by  the 
old  world. 

The  accompanying  erfgravings,  which  represent 


TYPES    OF   LIFE    IN    AMERICA. 


33 


the  gigantic  vultures  which  inhabit  the  mountain 
summits  respectively  of  the  new  Avorld  and  the  old, 
strikingly  illustrate  this  principle.  While  they  are 
generically  similar,  both  in  their  structure  and  in 


CONDOR   OF   THE    ANDES. 


their  habits,  still,  in  respect  to  what  the  naturalists 
call  specific  characters,  they  are  entirely  distinct. 


THE   MYSTERY   GENERAL. 


The  mystery  which  attends  the  origin  of  tnese 
different  and  peculiar  species  of  plants  and  animals 


84  TYPES    OF   LIFE   IN   AMERICA. 

inhabiting  the  new  continent,  has  been  found,  since 
America  was  discovered,  to  be  general,  for  it  is 
now  known    that    not    merely   America,  but  also 
every  part  of  the  globe,  so    far   as   the   different 
zones  and  districts  of  the  earth  are  separated  from 
each  other  by  seas,  or  mountains,  or  other  great 
natural   boundaries,  has   each  its  own    fauna  and 
flora  different  from  those   of  every  other  region. 
These  differences  of  species,  too,  exist  not  in  space 
only,  but  in  time.     From  the  evidence  that  an  ex 
amination  of  the  strata  of  the  earth  affords,  we  find 
that  every  different  period  of  the  earth's  history, 
going  back  to  very  remote  ages,  had  its  own  sys 
tem  of  plants  and   animals,  so  that  thousands  of 
species   that  existed  once  do  not  exist  now,  and 
those  which  exist  now  did  not  exist  then.     Thus  it 
is  established  by  evidence  that  seems  to  be  con 
clusive,  that  just  as  in  the  history  of  any  one  spe 
cies,  there  is  a  succession  of  individuals,  each  of 
which  is  born,  grows,  flourishes,  declines,  and  dies, 
to  be  succeeded  by  others  which  rise  into  being, 
and  come  forward  to  maturity,  while  their  prede 
cessors  decline ;  in  the  same  manner,  in  the  history 
of  the  world,  there  has  been  a  succession  of  spe 
cies,  each  of  which  has  come  into  being  in  its  own 
time,  increased  in  numbers,  become  widely  extend 
ed,  and  then  has  gradually  diminished  and  finally 


TYPES   OF   LIFE    IN   AMERICA.  35 

disappeared,  to  be  succeeded  by  other  species  that 
arise  in  the  same  manner,  and  go  through  in  the 
samo  manner  the  successive  periods  of  youth,  ma 
turity,  and  decay.  Thus  it  would  appear  that,  of 
the  vast  congeries  of  animal  and  vegetable  creations 
which  the  history  of  the  globe  presents  to  view, 
each  separate  period  of  its  existence,  and  also  every 
different  district  on  its  surface,  has  received  its  own 
peculiar  and  exclusive  forms.  There  are  several 
different  opinions  in  regard  to  the  proper  explana 
tion  of  this  remarkable  fact.  Of  these  opinions 
only  two  are  now  seriously  entertained  by  natural 
ists  and  philosophers,  and  the  question  between 
these  two  is,  at  the  present  time,  a  subject  of 
earnest  discussion  throughout  the  whole  scientific 
world. 

THE   TWO    PRINCIPAL   THEORIES. 

The  first  opinion  is,  that  each  species  is,  in  its 
essential  nature,  and  has  been  throughout  its  whole 
history,  entirely  distinct  from  every  other  one,  and 
that  it  was  called  into  being  in  its  own  appointed 
time,  either  by  a  special  act  of  creation  exerted  for 
this  end,  or  else  by  the  operation  of  some  general 
laws  to  us  wholly  unknown,  by  which,  when  cer 
tain  conditions  are  combined,  a  new  species  is  de 
rived  in  some  mysterious  way  from  one  or  more 


36  TYPES   OF   LIFE   IN   AMERICA. 

other  species  existing  before  it,  just  as  individuals 
of  any  given  species  are  known  to  proceed  from 
other  individuals  of  the  same.  This  opinion  has 
been  hitherto  a  prevailing  one  among  naturalists 
and  philosophers,  and  a  great  desire  has  been  felt 
to  discover  the  general  conditions  and  laws,  if  such 
there  are  within  the  reach  of  human  observation, 
under  which  new  species  arise. 

The  second  opinion  is,  that  life,  in  all  its  mani 
festations,  throughout  the  whole  vegetable  and 
animal  world,  is  one,  and  that  all  organizations 
that  now  exist,  or  have  ever  existed,  have  been 
produced,  by  a  succession  of  exceedingly  gradual 
and  long-continued  changes,  from  one,  or  at  most 
a  very  few,  primordial  forms. 

These  changes,  it  is  supposed,  result  from  a  con 
stitution  of  vegetable  and  animal  life  such  that 
very  slight  modifications  of  structure  occur  in  all 
cases  in  the  descent  from  parent  to  offspring ;  that 
these  modifications,  which  are  insignificant,  and 
sometimes  scarcely  perceptible  in  the  first  genera 
tion,  become  very  great  by  being  accumulated  in  a 
long  series  of  years,  and  that  changes  thus  result 
ing,  branching  oif  in  different  directions,  as  it 
were,  according  as  the  conditions  and  influences  to 

"  O 

which  different  races  are  exposed,  vary,  in  different 
places  and  times,  and  acting  through  immensely 


TYPES   OF   LIFE   IN   AMERICA.  37 

long  periods  of  time,  have  given  rise  to  all  the 
countless  forms  of  animal  and  vegetable  life  with 
which  the  world  now  teems. 

INQUIRIES   IXTO    THIS   SUBJECT   RIGHT   AXD   PROPER. 

This  is  not  the  place  to  discuss,  nor  even  to  ex 
plain   these   opinions.     They  are   only  briefly  al 
luded  to  here,  on  account  of  the  bearing  of  this 
general  question  on  the  origin  of  life  in  America. 
Some  persons  feel  a  degree  of  hesitation  in  follow 
ing  the  guidance  of  naturalists  in  their  inquiries  in 
respect  to  the  laws  of  life,  as  if  the  object  of  those 
engaged  in  these  studies  was  to  discover  some  way 
of  accounting  for  the  works  of  creation  without  ac 
knowledging  the  hand  of  a  creator.     But  this  is 
not  so.     Scientific  inquiries  into  the  causes  of  what 
we  see  are  not  attempts  to  dispense  with  a  divine 
agency  in  nature,  but  to  discover  the  manner  in 
which  this   agency  is   exercised,  and  the  laws  by 
which  it  regulates  its  action.     When  Franklin,  and 
the  other  philosophers  of  his  t'me,  made  known  to 
the  world  that  they  had  discovered  the  cause  which 
produced    thunder    and    lightning,    many    people 
thought  it  was  impious  for  them  to  pretend  to  have 
done  so      For  the  philosophers  to  attribute  a  phe 
nomenon  which  had  always  been  regarded  as  pro 
duced  directly  by  the  power  of  God  to  petty  sec- 


88  TYPES   OF    LIFE    IN    AMERICA. 

ondary  causes,  which  they  had  themselves  discover 
ed,  was,  in  the  opinion  of  these  persons,  atheistical 
and  profane. 

But  it  is  now  universally  admitted  that  such  a 
discovery  docs  not  limit  or  control  the  power  of 
God  at  all.  It  only  enables  us  to  see  somewhat 
further  into  his  ways.  No  one  detracts  from  the 
honor  due  to  an  engineer  for  any  grand  result  that 
he  produces,  by  explaining  the  mystery  of  the 
secret  mechanism  that  he  has  contrived  by  which 
to  produce  it. 

It  is  so  with  all  the  works  of  nature.  We  may 
push  our  inquiries  in  every  direction  with  the 
utmost  diligence  and  vigor,  and  carry  them  to  any 
extent,  without  the  least  fear  of  ever  making  any 
discoveries  which  will  tend  in  the  smallest  degree 
to  supersede  the  agency  of  a  supreme  and  all-per 
vading  power,  either  in  the  original  constitution  of 
nature,  or  in  the  constant  control  of  all  that  takes 
place  under  the  operation  of  its  laws. 

THE    TESTIMONY    OF   SCRIPTURE. 

There  is  another  source  of  apprehension,  of  a  re 
ligious  nature,  by  which  the  mind  is  sometimes 
restricted  and  hampered  in  studying  the  laws  of 
nature  and  the  past  history  of  the  globe,  and  that 
is  the  fear  that  something  will  be  found  which  may 


TYPES   OF   LIFE    IN    AMERICA.  39 

conflict,  or  at  least  appear  to  conflict,  with  the  tes 
timony  of  Scripture,  and  thus  shake  the  foundation 
of  our  Christian  faith.  But  \ve  must  consider  that 
the  book  of  revelation  is  intended  to  instruct  us 
solely  in  moral  and  spiritual  truths,  while  the  book 
of  nature  has  been  opened  before  us  to  teach  us 
science  and  philosophy.  They  are  both  equally 
from  God.  In  one  as  much  as  in  the  other,  it  is 
his  voice  that  we  hear,  and  his  instructions  that 
we  receive ;  and  we  must  not  allow  our  ears  to  be 
closed,  or  our  reason  to  be  trammeled,  in  respect  to 
what  he  teaches  us  directly  in  one,  by  too  literal 
interpretations  of  what  is  said  incidentally  and  in 
directly  in  the  other.  Since  the  great  mistake 
which  was  made  in  the  time  of  Galileo,  when  it  was 
attempted  to  shut  out  from  mankind  the  evidences 
presented  by  mathematics  and  astronomy,  in  re 
spect  to  the  laws  of  the  solar  system,  by  inferences 
ignorantly  drawn  from  incidental  allusions  in  the 
Scriptures  to  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies, 
all  wise  and  good  men  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  we  must  look  to  the  word  of  God  for  instruc 
tion  in  moral  and  religious  truth  alone,  while  for 
science  and  philosophy  we  must  go  to  that  other 
volume — the  great  system  of  creation  and  provi 
dence —  which  the  same  infallible  teacher  luu 
spread  open  before  us.  Each  comes  from  the  same 


40  TYPES   OF    LIFE    IN   AMERICA. 

hand,  and  each  in  its  own  sphere  is,  in  a  certain 
sense,  equally,  for  us,  the  word  of  God. 

MEANS  OF   TRANSPORTATION   FOR   ANIMALS   AND   PLANTS. 

A  great  many  very  curious  modes  by  which 
plants  and  animals  may  be  transported  from  one 
country  to  another,  even  across  wide  and  deep  seas, 
have  recently  been  brought  to  light,  which  very 
much  diminish  the  difficulty  of  supposing  that 
America  might  have  been  stocked  from  the  old 
world — provided  always,  we  grant  that  plants  and 
animals  are  subject  to  extensive  modifications  in  the 
course  of  long  periods  of  time,  by  which  the  species 
is  finally  changed,  and  new  forms  adapted  to  new 
situations  and  conditions  are  developed. 

In  the  first  place,  the  sea,  instead  of  lying  mo 
tionless,  except  so  far  as  it  is  agitated  by  winds,  as 
is  often  supposed,  is  subject  to  a  great  number  and 
variety  of  currents,  flowing  in  all  directions,  many 
of  them  at  the  rate  of  from  twenty  to  sixty  miles 
a  day.  These  currents  convey  fields  of  ice,  masses 
of  drift  wood,  branches  of  trees  with  nuts,  fruits, 
or  other  capsules  containing  seeds  attached  to  them, 
and  the  bodies  of  dead  birds,  with  seeds  in  their 
crops.  There  are  many  savage  nations,  living  in 
countries  that  produce  no  trees,  that  depend  on 
drift  wood  altogether  for  all  the  material  of  this 


TYPES    OF    LIFE    IX    AMERICA.  41 

sort  that  they  use  in  making  utensils  and  weapons, 
and  even  sometimes  for  building  and  for  fuel. 
Now,  the  trunk  of  a  single  tree  might  contain  the 
seeds  and  eggs  of  a  hundred  different  species  of 
minute  plants  and  animals,  and  though  great  num 
bers  would  doubtless  perish,  many  would  probably 
be  preserved. 

Experiments  have  recently  been  made  to  ascer 
tain  how  long  seeds  can  remain  submerged  in  sea 
water  without  losing  their  power  of  germination, 
and  it  was  found  that  out  of  many  hundreds  sub 
jected  to  the  trial  quite  a  large  number  grew  after 
being  in  the  water  from  twenty  to  ninety  days. 
This  would  give  them  time  to  be  conveyed  a  great 
distance  by  a  current  of  the  sea  flowing  at  the  rate 
even  of  twenty-five  miles  a  day. 

A  certain  philosopher  wishing  to  ascertain  how 
far  aquatic  birds  might  convey  seeds  from  one  lake 
or  pond  of  fresh  water  to  another,  in  the  mud 
adhering  to  their  feet,  took  out  a  portion  of  such 
inud,  in  order  to  ascertain  how  far  it  might  be 
supplied  with  the  germs  of  vegetable  life.  The 
quantity  which  he  took  was  about  a  tea-cup  full. 
This  mud  he  placed  in  a  situation  to  allow  the 
seeds  which  it  contained  to  germinate,  and  as  fast 
as  little  plants  appeared  he  pulled  them  out  and 
counted  them.  He  obtained  from  this  single  tea- 


42  TYPES    OF    LIFE    IX    AMERICA. 

cup  full  of  soil  more  than  two  hundred  living 
plants  !  Thus  great  numbers  of  transfers  of  plants 
from  one  region  to  another  are  doubtless  made, 
merely  by  the  feet  of  aquatic  birds. 

In  a  somewhat  similar  manner  the  young  of 
many  small  animals  are  conveyed  from  lake  to  lake 
and  from  river  to  river,  by  attaching  themselves  to 
the  feet  and  legs  of  birds,  floating  or  wading  in  the 
water. 

A  great  many  other  curious  examples  like  these 
of  the  manner  in  which  nature  has  provided  for  the 
wide  dissemination  of  the  minuter  forms  of  animal 
and  vegetable  life  might  be  given  if  time  and  space 
would  allow. 

GLACIAL   ACTIOX 

Whenever  the  temperature  of  a  country,  either 
from  its  great  elevation  or  from  its  high  latitude,  is 
such  that  the  summer  cannot  thaw  the  snow  and  ice 
which  the  winter  produces,  what  are  called  glaciers 
are  formed.  These  glaciers  are  beds  of  solid  ice, 
of  many  hundred  feet  in  thickness,  which  are 
formed  in  valleys  or  upon  broad  slopes  of  land,  and 
which  all  the  time  slowly  move  down  the  descent 
upon  which  they  lie,  as  if  there  were  a  certain 
slight  and  imperfect  fluidity  in  the  constitution  of 
the  ice.  When  such  a  glacier  has  its  lower  ter- 


TYPES   OF   LIFE    IN    AMERICA.  43 

mination  in  a  valley  it  sometimes  ploughs  up  the 
ground  before  it,  and  deposits  stones,  which  it  has 
brought  down  upon  its  surface,  in  a  particular  way, 
and  produces  other  curious  effects,  the  results  of 
the  glacial  action,  by  which  the  geologists  feel  con 
fident  that  they  can  determine,  upon  a  proper 
examination  of  any  district  or  valley,  whether  or 
not  a  glacier  has  ever  been  at  work  there. 

When  these  glaciers  terminate  upon  the  shore  of 
the  sea,  the  lower  edge  is  forced  out  over  the  water 
by  the  pressure  of  a  mass  above  and  behind,  until 
the  projecting  mass,  sometimes  many  hundred  feet 
in  thickness,  is  broken  off,  falls  over,  and  is  borne 
away  by  the  current  or  the  wind.  This  is  the  way 
in  which  the  immense  icebergs  that  are  seen  float 
ing  about  even  in  the  middle  of  the  ocean  are 
formed. 

THE    GLACIAL   PERIOD    OF   KORTII   AMERICA. 

It  is  alleged  by  geologists  that  there  are  abun 
dant  evidences  of  former  glacial  action  throughout 
all  the  northern  and  central  parts  of  North 
America,  and  also  of  Europe  and  Asia,  indicating 
that  at  some  remote  period  the  climate  in  all  the 
northern  latitudes  was  very  much  colder  than  it  is 
now.  Indeed,  some  astronomical  arguments  have 
recently  been  advanced  showing  that  the  earth,  by 
the  laws  of  its  motion  round  the  sun,  which  lead  to 


44  TYPES   OF   LIFE   IN   AMERICA. 

a  change  in  the  position  of  its  axis  in  relation  to 
the  sun,  is  subject  to  certain  grand  oscillations  of 
temperature,  in  which  the  regions  of  the  north  and 
of  the  south  poles  are  alternately  made  warmer  and 
colder,  and  that  at  the  present  time  the  condition 
of  the  north  pole  is  intermediate  between  the  two 
extremes.  However  this  may  be,  there  are  un 
doubted  geological  proofs  that  in  former  ages  the 
northern  countries,  both  of  the  old  continent  and 
the  new,  have  been  at  one  period  much  colder,  and 
at  another  much  warmer,  than  at  present.  When 
the  climate  was  colder  the  reign  of  ice  in  all  the 
northern  regions,  and  the  influence  of  it  in  con 
necting  continents  and  transporting  animals  and 
men,  would  be  of  course  greatly  increased.  If 
now  we  suppose  that  at  such  a  time  great  numbers 
of  the  then  existing  species  of  animals  were  trans 
ported  across  the  intervening  seas,  and  then  grad 
ually  spread  themselves  southward.,  undergoing  slow 
modifications  as  they  advance,  to  fit  them  for  the 
new  conditions  to  which  the  changes  of  the  climate 
or  their  own  changes  of  habitation  exposed  them, 
we  should  have  very  nearly  the  result  which  is  now 
observed  to  exist. 

These  ideas,  however,  are,  after  all,  at  present 
only  the  speculations  of  naturalists  and  philoso 
phers,  ingenious  and  interesting  as  they  arc. 


CHAPTER    II. 

FACE      OF     THE      COUNTRY. 
THE    MAP. 

THE  map  on  the  adjoining  page  represents  the 
portion  of  the  North  American  continent  which  is 
at  the  present  time  occupied  by  the  people  of  the 
United  States.  It  will  assist  very  much  in  read 
ing  intelligently  the  history  of  the  country  if  we 
first  obtain  a  clear  and  comprehensive  view  of  the 
great  and  leading  features  of  its  geography. 

These  features  are  very  marked  and  striking — 
more  so,  perhaps,  than  those  of  any  other  country 
on  the  globe.  This  will  clearly  appear  by  an  in 
spection  of  the  map,  and  by  filling  out,  in  imagina 
tion,  the  outline  which  the  map  presents,  with  the 
details  which  will  be  given  in  this  description. 

As  you  look  upon  the  map  imagine  that  you  are 
in  the  air,  looking  down  upon  it  as  from  a  balloon, 
and  take  notice  of  what  you  see.  On  the  east  and 
on  the  west  are  the  shores  of  two  oceans.  That  on 
the  east  is  the  Atlantic.  The  Pacific  is  on  the 
west. 


48  FACE    OF   THE    COUNTRY. 

THE   LAKE    COUNTRY. 

Toward  the  north  is  an  immense  tract  of  nearly 
level  land,  covered  with  forests,  but  containing  a 
vast  number  of  depressions  in  the  surface  of  the 
land,  all  of  which  are  filled  with  water  and  form 
lakes,  some  large  and  others  small.  This  land, 
though  level,  is  high,  so  that  there  is  a  very  con 
siderable  though  gradual  descent  from  the  lakes  to 
the  ocean.  The  lakes  are  kept  constantly  full  by 
the  rains  and  by  the  melting  of  the  snows,  and 
the  surplus  waters  flow  off  in  one  vast  channel, 
northward  and  eastward  to  the  sea. 

One  of  the  large  lakes,  though  still  much  higher 
than  the  sea,  is  marked  as  a  low  lake,  for  it  is  two 
or  three  hundred  feet  below  the  level  of  the  others, 
arid  the  water  flowing  from  the  upper  lakes  into 
it,  in  descending  from  one  level  to  the  other,  passes 
over  a  high  precipice,  thus  producing  an  immense 
fall,  which  is  the  celebrated  Niagara. 

The  surplus  waters  of  all  the  lar_re  lakes  flow 
off  finally  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  almost  ex 
actly  parallel  to  the  coast  until  they  reach  the  sea. 
The  river  thus  formed  is  now  known  as  the  St.  Law 
rence.  Observe,  that  between  the  river  and  the 
coast  there  is  a  long  and  somewhat  narrow  strip  of 
land,  which  will  be  spoken  of  more  particularly 
under  another  head. 


FACE   OF   THE    COUNTRY.  49 

All  this  region  of  the  lakes  is  inhabited— during 
the  summer  season  by  immense  numbers  of  beasts 
upon  the  land,  of  birds  in  the  regions  of  the  air, 
and  of  fishes  in  the  water.  In  the  winter  it  is 
buried  deep  in  ice  and  snow.  The  birds  at  that 
season  have  all  flown.  The  animals  have  retired 
to  dens  and  holes,  where  some  sleep,  torpid,  till  the 
spring  returns,  and  others  burrowing  beneath  the 
frosty  covering  which  clothes  the  ground,  gain  their 
livelihood  there  by  digging  for  roots,  or  gnawing 
the  bark  of  trees,  or  catching  the  fish  that  are  still 
swimming  in  the  imprisoned  waters. 

FUR-BEARIXG   ANIMALS. 

Almost  all  the  land  animals  that  inhabit  these 
regions — being  exposed  for  six  months  in  the  year 
to  intense  cold — are  protected  by  a  thick  an  1  warm 
coat  of  hair  and  fur.  In  the  larger  animals  the 
hair  is  coarse,  but  thick  and  warm,  though  much 
less  so  than  in  the  case  of  the  smaller  animals ;  for 
the  smaller  the  body  is  that  is  exposed,  the  more 
perfect  the  protection  that  it  requires,  one  largo 
mass  being  more  easily  kept  warm  than  a  mul 
titude  of  small  ones. 

The  region  of  these  lakes,  and  of  the  country 
north  of  it,  which,  for  many  hundreds  of  miles, 
maintains  the  same  character,  is  one  of  the  most 


50  FACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

extensive  and  most  celebrated  fur-bearing  districts 
in  the  world.  The  shores  of  the  lakes,  and  the 
banks  of  all  the  millions  of  little  brooks  and 
streams,  are  full  of  minks,  otters,  beavers,  sables, 
and  multitudes  of  other  swimming  and  burrowing 
animals  of  that  kind,  whose  fur  is  softer  than  silk 
and  warmer  than  wool.  When,  therefore,  you  look 
upon  the  map  and  imagine  that  jour  eyes  are  sur 
veying  the  real  country,  you  must  picture  it  to 
your  mind  as  swarming  with  all  this  life,  winter 
and  summer. 

In  the  summer  these  animals  ramble  about  in 
the  forests,  or  along  the  borders  of  the  lakes  and 
streams,  amid  a  profusion  of  the  most  luxuriant 
and  most  beautiful  flowers.  Some  climb  the  trees, 
and  run  along  upon  the  branches  in  search  of  nuts 
for  their  winter  stores.  Some  burrow  in  the 
ground,  at  the  margin  of  the  water,  with  the  ori 
fices  of  their  dwelling  convenient  either  for  foraging 
upon  the  land,  or  for  fishing  and  s 'Dimming  in  the 
ponds  and  streams. 


THE  INDIAN  INHABITANTS. 


There  is  one  thing  more  to  be  brought  to  mind 
in  order  to  complete  the  picture,  and  that  is,  the 
presence  of  many  wandering  tribes  of  Indians 
roaming  over  the  country.  The  smokes  from  their 


FACE    OF   THE    COUNTRY.  51 

scattered  wig  \vams  rise  among  the  trees  both  in 
summer  and  in  winter.  They  build  their  habita 
tions  of  the  bark  of  trees.  They  hunt  and  trap 
the  land  animals,  and  snare  the  fish.  They  cat 
the  flesh  for  food,  and  clothe  themselves  with  the 
skins  and  furs.  Each  tribe  preserves  in  a  measure 
its  own  range,  and  yet  sometimes  they  become  in 
volved  in  dreadful  quarrels,  in  which  the  ordinary 
repose  of  the  silent  and  solitary  forests  is  broken 
by  the  frightful  yells  of  a  troop  of  maddened  sav 
ages  breaking  at  midnight  into  the  encampment  of 
their  foes,  or  by  the  piercing  cries  of  women  and 
children  whom  they  massacre  in  their  fury. 

INFLUENCE   OP   THE   MORAL   INSTINCTS. 

These  scenes  of  war  and  devastation  are,  how 
ever,  only  incidental  and  occasional  interruptions 
to  the  ordinarily  peaceful  flow  with  which  the  cur 
rent  of  life  here,  as  in  all  other  countries  and 
climes,  flows  on.  The  Creator  has  implanted  in 
the  human  mind  a  natural  sense  of  justice,  a  love 
of  what  is  right  in  the  dealings  between  man 
and  man,  and  a  disapproval  of  what  is  wrong,  the 
influence  of  which,  in  all  human  com T: unities,  is 
ordinarily  sufficient  to  preserve  peace,  even  in  the 
most  rude  and  savage  states  of  society.  Thus,  in 
picturing  to  our  imaginations  the  scenes  that  were 


52  FACE    OF   THE    COUNTRY. 

presented  in  this  lake  country,  while  in  its  aborigi 
nal  condition,  we  must  conceive  of  the  inhabitants 
as  ordinarily  employed  in  their  various  industrial 
pursuits  of  hunting  and  fishing,  of  fabricating  im 
plements  and  clothing,  of  building  wigwams  and 
making  encampments,  and  of  rearing  their  chil 
dren.  The  scenes  of  violence  and  war  that  occur 
red  to  disturb  the  usual  quite  of  their  lives,  though 
very  serious  in  their  results,  were  exceptional,  and 
comparatively  rare.  It  is  very  doubtful,  indeed, 
whether  they  were  more  frequent,  or  more  destruc 
tive,  in  proportion  to  the  numbers  affected  by  them, 
than  the  similar  quarrels  which  have  occurred 
among  Christian  and  civilized  nations,  as  shown  by 
the  history  of  Europe  during  the  last  five  hundred 
years. 

THE  GREAT  CENTRAL  VALLEY. 

South  of  the  lake  country,  and  occupying  a  very 
large  portion  of  the  whole  interior  of  the  continent, 
is  a  broad  though  shallow  valley,  bounded  both  on 
the  east  and  on  the  west  by  ranges  of  mountains. 
The  extent  of  the  valley  is  marked  on  the  map,  not 
only  by  the  mountains  which  bound  it  on  the  east 
and  on  the  west,  but  also  by  the  ramifications  of 
the  great  river  which  drains  it.  These  ramifica 
tions  are  seen  spreading  in  every  direction,  like  the 


FACE    OF   T)  V    COUNTRY.  f)3 

branches  of  a  mighty  tree,  and  terminating  in  the 
south  in  one  great  trunk,  through  which  the  united 
volume  of  waters  is  poured  out  into  the  great  gulf 
which  is  seen  delineated  there.  This  is  the  great 
river  Mississippi,  with  its  thousand  tributaries.  If  it 
were  the  real  scene,  instead  of  a  mere  map  that  we 
were  looking  upon,  we  should  see  all  the  branches 
of  this  immense  system  glistening  in  the  sun  be 
tween  banks  loaded  with  luxuriant  forests,  and 
adorned  with  fruits  and  flowers  of  every  conceiv 
able  character  and  form. 

THE  SOIL  OF  THE  GREAT  VALLEY. 

The  soil  of  the  whole  valley,  which,  however,  is 
so  broad  and  so  shallow  that,  seen  as  we  have  im 
agined  from  above,  it  would  have  more  the  appear 
ance  of  an  extended  plain  than  of  a  valley,  is 
extremely  fertile.  It  is  what  is  called  an  alluvial 
formation  :  that  is,  a  very  large  portion  of  the  ter 
ritory  has  been  covered  with  deposits  from  the 
rivers  themselves,  left  after  overflows  and  inunda 
tions.  These  deposits  have  accumulated,  in  the 
course  of  ages,  to  a  great  depth,  and  they  form  an 
exceedingly  rich  and  fertile  soil.  The  rivers  twist 
and  turn  this  way  and  that  in  meandering  through 
these  plains ;  and  when  swollen  by  rain  or  by  the 
melting  snows,  they  undermine  the  banks,  and 


54  FACE    OF   THE    COUNTRY. 

bring  down  great  masses  of  earth,  and  great  num 
bers  of  immense  trees  into  the  water.  The  earth 
thus  washed  in  is  carried  down  by  the  flood,  and 
after  being  mingled  with  a  great  variety  of  animal 
and  vegetable  remains,  is  distributed  over  widely 
extended  districts  below,  when  the  water  has  over 
flowed  the  banks,  and  thus  adds,  throughout  all  the 
country  so  covered,  a  new  layer  of  fertility  to  the 
soil. 

FORMATION"   OF   ISLANDS   IN"   THE   RIVER. 

The  trees  float  on,  too,  upon  the  current.  Some 
drag  by  the  roots  and  get  lodged  along  the  banks 
or  upon  shoals,  in  the  bed  of  the  stream.  In  this 
latter  case  they  intercept  others  coming  down,  and 
so  create  an  obstruction,  around  which  sand  and 
sediment  collect,  until  an  island  is  formed.  When 
this  new  formation  becomes  consolidated,  it  turns 
the  current  of  the  stream,  and  perhaps  in  the  end 
is  the  means  of  deflecting  the  river  into  a  new 
channel. 

There  is  another  way  by  which  islands  are  form 
ed.  The  river  wearing  continually  upon  its  banks, 
and  making  immense  convolutions  in  its  course, 
sometimes  cuts  through  a  narrow  neck,  where  pre 
viously  it  flowed  around  in  a  great  circuit.  A 
new  channel  is  thus  made  for  a  part  of  the  water, 


FACE   OF   THE    COUNTRY.  55 

while  the  rest  flows  on  round  the  circuit  in  the  old 
course.  By  this  means  an  island  is  formed,  which 
may,  perhaps,  continue  for  centuries  to  divide  the 
stream. 

SWAMPS. 

At  length,  perhaps,  in  the  case  of  such  an  is 
land,  the  old  channel  becomes  choked  up  and 
closed  at  the  opening,  having  previously  become 
half  filled  with  the  floating  trunks  of  trees,  and  all 
manner  of  brush  and  rubbish.  Henceforward  it 
remains  a  stagnant  pool,  a  mile  perhaps  wide,  and 
fifty  miles  long,  filled  with  aquatic  plants  of  every 
kind,  and  with  decaying  and  half  sunken  trunks 
of  trees,  all  covered  and  adorned,  where  they 
emerge  into  the  atmosphere,  with  rich  mosses, 
green  and  brown,  and  with  graceful  ferns,  which 
hang  drooping  like  tufts  of  feathers  along  the 
banks,  or  clinging,  wherever  they  can  get  a  foot 
hold,  to  the  trunks  of  the  decaying  trees. 

The  lagoons  and  morasses  formed  in  this  manner, 
in  ancient  times,  became  the  peaceful  and  happy 
abode  of  vast  numbers  of  animals  adapted  to  such  a 
habitation.  Alligators,  lizards,  serpents,  and  rep 
tiles  of  all  kinds,  crawled  along  the  banks  or  slept 
in  the  sun  upon  the  logs  that,  lined  the  shore;  while 
long-legged  birds  waded  in  the  water  fishing  for 


56  FACE   OF   THE    COUNTRY. 

their  food  among  the  sedges,  and  flocks  of  ducks 
and  other  wild  fowl,  some  of  them  resplendent  in 
plumage,  and  adorned  with  the  most  gorgeous  hues 
of  orange,  crimson,  blue  and  gold,  lay  floating  on 
the  surface,  or  flew  in  flocks  hither  and  thither 
through  the  air.  The  lagoons  and  morasses  wer 
inhabited  by  these  animals  in  millions. 

THE    QfcD    FORSAKEN   CHANNELS. 

In  other  parts  of  this  great  valley  swamps  and 
morasses  were  formed  in  another  way.  The  river, 
when  it  overflowed  its  banks,  carried  over  with  it, 
upon  the  land,  immense  quantities  of  sand,  gravel, 
and  driftwood,  and  other  such  substances,  whether 
floating  upon  the  water  or  suspended  in  it.  These 
substances  would,  of  course,  be  caught  and  retain 
ed,  or,  if  heavier  than  the  water,  would  subside,  in 
greater  quantities  near  the  bank  than  further  in 
land;  that  is,  the  largest  and  heaviest  would  be 
come  lodged,  while  the  water  itself,  carrying  with 
it  the  finer  sediment,  would  flow  further  into  the 
interior.  Thus  the  land  would  become  built  up, 
so  to  speak,  faster  near  the  river  than  further  in 
land,  and  consequently  would  rise  higher ;  and  the 
water  which  was  carried  over  into  the  plains  be 
yond  could  not  flow  back  into  the  river  again. 
Instead  of  this,  it  would  find  its  way  into  every 


FACE    OF   THE    COUNTRY.  59 

low  and  sunken  tract,  which  would,  of  course,  in 
this  way  become  half  submerged,  and  long  before 
the  water  could  be  evaporated  by  the  sun  a  new 
supply  would  come  in  from  another  inundation. 

The  result  is,  that  throughout  the  whole  extent 
of  the  valley,  especially  in  the  southern  and  lower 
portions  of  it,  great  tracts  of  land  have  become  half 
submerged,  and  continue  permanently  in  that  con 
dition,  and  thus,  though  teeming  with  animal  and 
vegetable  life,  are  wholly  unfit,  in  their  present 
state,  for  the  abode  of  man. 

THE   MOUTH    OF    TIIK    MISSISSIPPI. 

The  mouth  of  the  river,  as  might  be  expected 
from  the  prevailing  character  which  it  bears 
throughout  its  course,  presents  a  very  extraordina 
ry  spectacle.  The  torrents  that  come  down  in  the 
great  floods  bring  with  them  vast  numbers  of  trees 
and  immense  quantities  of  brush  and  drift  wood, 
and  also  of  sand  and  mud  held  in  suspension  by 
the  water,  all  of  which  arc  swept  out  in  every 
direction  around  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  depos 
ited  there.  In  this  way,  in  process  of  time,  a 
delta,  or  projection  of  the  land  has  been  formed, 
which  is  so  large  as  to  be  plainly  perceptible  upon 
the  map.  This  land  rises  scarcely  above  the  level 
of  the  sea,  and  the  water  of  the  river  makes  its  way 


60  FACE   OF   THE    COUNTRY. 

through  it  in  every  direction,  in  many  different 
and  devious  channels.  The  whole  tract  is,  in  fact, 
an  entangled  mass  of  trees  and  brushwood,  matted 
together  and  gone  to  decay,  and  covered  with  mud 
and  slime ;  and  so  unfit  for  the  habitation  of  man 
that  when,  on  the  coming  of  the  Europeans,  a 
landing-place  was  required  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  it  was  found  necessary  to  ascend  more  than 
one  hundred  miles  before  a  site  suitable  for  a  town 
could  be  found.  And  even  at  that  spot  the  surface 
of  the  river  is  now  often  higher  than  the  streets  of 
the  town  which  has  been  built  there,  and  in  din-- 

O 

ging  a  foot  or  two  anywhere  in  the  soil  we  come 
to  the  water. 


THE   PRAIRIES. 


In  the  northern  part  of  this  great  fertile  basin, 
watered  by  the  Mississippi  and  its  branches,  there 
is  a  vast  extent  of  country  void  of  forests,  or  nearly 
void  of  them,  there  being  no  wood  upon  it  except 
narrow  belts  of  trees  growing  along  the  margins  of 
the  rivers.  This  country  consists  of  boundless 
plains  of  grass  land,  called  prairies.  The  soil  is 
very  fertile,  and  the  grass  grows  high ;  and  when 
from  any  small  elevation  the  traveler  takes  a  sur 
vey  of  the  scene,  looking  out,  as  he  may,  to  an  un 
obstructed  horizon  on  every  side,  and  seeing  the 


FACE   OF   THE   COUNTRY.  61 

grass  waving  in  the  wind  throughout  the  whole  ex 
panse  around  him,  he  might  well  imagine  himself 
in  the  midst  of  an  ocean — only  that  the  billows 
that  roll  over  it  are  green  instead  of  blue.  These 
plains,  in  aboriginal  times,  furnished  food  for  buf 
faloes,  elks,  antelopes,  and  other  animals  that  feed 
on  herbage,  the  whole  mass  moving  continually  to 
and  fro  over  the  vast  expanse  as  the  season 
changed,  or  as  the  state  of  the  pasturage  invited 
them  to  new  fields. 

THE    NORTHERN   ATLANTIC   SLOPE. 

The  most  important  part  of  the  whole  territory 
represented  on  the  map,  in  a  historical  point  of 
view,  is  the  Atlantic  slope,  as  it  is  called — that  is, 
the  portion  of  the  country  between  the  mountains 
bordering  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  on  the  east, 
and  the  sea.  You  will  see  by  the  map  that  this  is 
a  long  and  narrow  strip  of  land.  It  is  divided 
naturally  into  two  portions.  The  stormy  cape 
which  is  seen  projecting  into  the  sea  about  midway 
of  the  coast  marks  this  division.  To  the  north 
ward  of  this  there  is  a  tract  of  land  lying  between 
the  sea  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  river  which  car 
ries  off  the  surplus  water  of  the  great  lakes  on  the 
other.  This  is  the  northern  part  of  the  Atlantic 
slope,  and  it  was  the  scene  of  many  of  the  most  in- 


62  FACE    OF   THE    COUNTRY. 

teresting  events  connected  with  the  history  of  the 
country. 

The  country  in  this  district  is  mountainous  or 
hilly  in  every  part.  In  former  times  it  was  cov 
ered  with  forests,  except  where  the  Indians  had 
cleared  small  patches  of  ground,  by  burning  down 
the  trees,  to  make  fields  for  the  cultivation  of 
maize.  This  tract  of  land  was  exactly  adapted  by 
nature  for  producing  the  grasses  and  other  herba 
ceous  plants,  which  form  the  food  of  the  sheep,  the 
horse,  the  ox,  and  other  such  grazing  animals — the 
most  useful  of  all  to  man.  But  no  such  animals 
were  produced  in  this  region.  It  would  be  impos 
sible,  indeed,  that  they  should  live  here,  in  a  state 
of  nature,  on  account  of  the  fact  that,  though  in 
summer  everything  is  favorable  for  the  produc 
tion  of  their  food,  in  the  winter,  which  season  here 
lasts  from  four  to  six  months  in  the  year,  the 
\vhole  country  is  buried  under  the  snow,  and,  of 
course,  all  such  animals,  if  any  there  were,  would 
perish. 

Such  animals  are  now,  however,  raised  in  great 
lumbers  in  all  this  region.  Indeed,  they  are  the 
great  staple  of  production.  They  feed  themselves 
during  the  summer  season  from  the  grass  that 
grows  upon  the  hill-sides  and  upon  the  mountain 
slopes  ;  while  such  as  grows  on  the  more  smooth 


FACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY.  63 

and  level  lands  below  is  husbanded  for  them  by 
the  farmer,  by  being  cut,  and  dried,  and  stored  in 
barns,  and  so  fed  out  to  them  under  shelter  durin^ 
the  winter  season,  when  the  fields  and  hill-sides 
are  all  alike  buried  four  or  five  feet  under  the 
snow. 

NATIVE    ANIMALS. 

Thus,  in  its  native  state,  there  were  no  animals 
in  this  region  except  such  as  could  provide  them 
selves  with  food,  or  live  without  it  during  the  pro 
tracted  winters.  The  moose,  with  his  lono-  le^s  to 

O          O 

wade  through  the  snow,  and  his  long  neck  and 
head  to  reach  up  to  the  branches  of  the  trees  and 
underwood,  could  live  by  browsing  upon  the  buds 
and  the  tender  bark  which  grows  upon  them.  The 
squirrels  and  other  such  smaller  animals  were  en 
dowed  with  instincts  which  led  them  to  lay  up  food 
for  the  winter  in  hollow  logs  or  holes  in  the 
ground.  The  bears  went  into  a  torpid  sleep  in 
which  they  remained  insensible  and  without  food 
for  months  at  a  time,  and  the  minks  and  other  bur 
rowing  creatures  of  that  kind  continued  their  oper 
ations  under  the  ice  and  snow  all  winter  long, 
feeding  on  roots  or  on  fish  ;  and  whatever  might  be 
the  severity  of  the  cold  above,  finding  it  always 
warm  and  comfortable  for  them  below. 


G-i  FACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

MAN. 

This  northeastern  region  had  its  human  inhab 
itants,  too,  notwithstanding  the  depth  of  the  snow 
which  covered  it,  and  the  intensity  of  the  cold 
which  prevailed  during  so  large  a  part  of  the  year. 
These  inhabitants  easily  provided  themselves  with 
food  during  the  summer  season,  partly  by  hunting 
and  fishing,  and  partly  by  cultivating  the  ground 
in  such  spots  as  they  had  been  able  to  clear  of 
trees.  They  had  a  double  resource  in  winter,  too. 
In  the  first  place  there  were  the  stores  of  provi 
sions  which,  like  the  squirrels,  they  had  laid  up  in 
the  season  of  abundance,  and  then,  even  in  the 
winter,  the  supplies  which  nature  afforded  them 
were  not  wholly  cut  off.  For,  although  all  above 
the  surface  of  the  earth,  both  of  land  and  water, 
formed  one  lifeless  and  desolate  expanse  of  frost 
and  ice  and  snow,  and  was  enveloped  in  an  atmos 
phere  so  intensely  cold  that  no  active  vegetable  or 
animal  life  could  endure  exposure  to  it,  still  be 
neath  this  surface,  both  upon  the  land  and  upon 
the  water,  there  was  a  protected  stratum  teeming 
with  life  in  every  form,  and  there  were  a  thousand 
ways  which  their  savage  ingenuity  devised  of  pene 
trating  to  this  stratum,  and  drawing  from  it  at 
least  a  portion  of  their  needed  supplies. 


FACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY.  65 

All  this,  however,  will  be  more  fully  explained 
in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

THE   SOUTHERN  ATLANTIC   SLOPE. 

To  the  south  of  the  stormy  cape  represented  on 
the  map,  and  between  the  mountains  and  the  sea, 
is  the  southern  Atlantic  slope,  of  nearly  the  same 
size  and  form  as  its  northern  counterpart,  but  ex 
tremely  dissimilar  in  character.  It  consists  main 
ly  of  level  plains,  covered,  in  a  great  measure, 
with  forests  of  pine ;  and  across  these  plains  innu 
merable  rivers  flow  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea, 
through  valleys  of  the  most  extraordinary  richness 
and  beauty.  In  this  country  the  grasses  do  not 
grow,  but  their  place  is  filled  by  tropical  plants. 
The  two  chief  plants  that  have  been  cultivated  here 
are  rice  and  cotton. 

CHARACTER  OF   THE   COAST. 

One  very  curious  and  extremely  important  re 
sult  of  the  difference  of  the  conformation  of  the 
land  in  the  northern  and  southern  portion  of  the 
Atlantic  slope,  is  a  great  difference  in  the  accessi 
bility  of  the  coast  in  the  two  sections.  Where  a 
district  of  country  is  mountainous  and  rocky,  the 
shores  are  usually  bold,  and  the  indentations  in  the 
land  are  filled  with  deep  water.  The  rivers,  too, 


66  FACE    OF   THE    COUNTKY. 

in  flowing  through  such  a  country,  are  bounded 
generally  by  steep  and  permanent  banks,  which 
yield  but  little  sand  or  soil,  to  be  borne  away  by 
the  current  of  the  stream.  The  rivers  are  con 
sequently  more  likely  to  be  deep,  and  their  mouths 
to  be  comparatively  unobstructed. 

On  the  contrary,  where  a  coast  is  low  and 
sandy,  it  is  undermined  and  washed  away  by  the 
waves,  and  shoals  and  sandbars  and  low  islands  are 
formed  all  along  the  line  of  it.  The  rivers,  too,  in 
flowing  through  such  a  country,  undermine  and 
wear  away  the  banks,  and  bring  down  great  quan 
tities  of  sand  and  gravel  to  fill  the  beds  of  the 
rivers,  and  choke  up  the  entrances  at  their  mouths. 

These  causes  operate  powerfully  in  the  two  por 
tions  of  the  eastern  coast  of  this  country.  The 
shores  in  the  northern  portion  are  bold  and  per 
manent,  and  almost  every  considerable  indentation 
in  them  forms  a  deep  and  safe  harbor  for  shipping. 
In  the  southern  portion,  on  the  other  hand,  th« 
coast  is  lined  with  shoals  and  sandy  islands;  and 
although  there  are  numerous  inlets  and  bays  be 
tween  and  among  them,  they  are  almost  all  shal 
low,  and  the  approaches  to  them  are  choked  up 
with  continually  shifting  sands. 

It  is  so  with  the  rivers.  The  Hudson  river  has 
one-third  greater  depth  of  water  at  its  mouth  than 


FACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY.  07 

the  Mississippi,  although  the  Mississippi  reckons 
twice  as  many  thousands  of  miles  as  the  Hudson 
hundreds,  in  its  length,  and  discharges,  doubtless, 
into  the  sea,  judging  from  the  area  which  it  drains 
— more  than  a  hundred  times  the  quantity  of 
water. 

From  these  causes  the  northern  coast  is  much 
more  accessible  to  ships  coming  from  sea  than  the 
southern,  and  to  this  advantage,  doubtless,  and  to 
the  facilities  for  commerce  resulting  from  it,  it  is 
owing,  in  some  considerable  degree,  that  so  many 
early  settlements  were  made  on  the  shores  of  the 
northeastern  slope,  and  that  the  section  of  country 
lying  contiguous  to  them  has  made  such  rapid  ad 
vances  in  wealth  and  population. 


THE    WESTERN"   SLOPE. 


If  we  pass  now  across  the  country  to  the  west 
ern  slope,  we  see  a  range  of  mountains  running 
parallel  with  the  coast  at  a  comparatively  short 
distance  from  the  sea.  This  chain  of  mountains 
was  named  by  the  Spaniards  who  first  explored  the 
country  the  Sierra  Nevada,  which  means  snowy 
chain.  The  strip  of  land  which  lies  between  these 
mountains  and  the  sea  is  too  narrow  to  produce  any 
considerable  rivers.  One,  however,  is  seen  cross 
ing  the  chain  of  mountains,  flowing  through  a  gap 


68  FACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

or  gorge,  left,  it  would  almost  seem,  on  purpose  to 
allow  a  passage.  The  mouth  of  this  river  forms  a 
deep  and  spacious  harbor,  the  only  one  of  impor 
tance  upon  the  coast.  It  is  this  harbor  that  has 
given  rise  to  the  city  of  San  Francisco. 


THE    GREAT   SALT   DESERT. 


There  remains  one  more  district,  and  that  a 
most  remarkable  one,  to  be  described.  It  is  the 
great  desert  which  lice  between  the  Snowy  Chain 
and  the  range  of  mountains  which  bounds  the  Mis 
sissippi  on  the  west.  The  desert  character  of  this 
tract  arises,  it  would  seem,  from  the  scarcity  of 
rain,  and  from  the  sandy  and  porous  character  of 
the  soil,  which  causes  all  the  water  that  falls  upon 
it  to  be  absorbed  so  suddenly  that  it  cannot  serve 
the  purposes  of  vegetation.  Streams  rise  in  the 
mountains  around  it,  and  some  of  them,  by  the 
confluence  of  tributaries,  become  quite  large  rivers 
in  going  down  into  the  valley.  But  in  flowing 
over  the  great  sandy  waste  which  here  receives 
them,  the  water  is  rapidly  absorbed.  The  streams 
grow  smaller  and  smaller  as  they  go  on,  and  finally 
disappear.  In  the  spring  of  the  year,  when  the 
snows  melt,  or  in  times  of  great  rains,  these  rivers 
are  swollen  so  as  to  extend  in  length  a  hundred 


FACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY.  69 

miles  or  more,  but  even  at  such  times  they  finally 
dwindle  away  and  disappear. 

Some  of  the  rivers,  however,  before  they  dis 
appear,  reach  great  hollows  or  depressions  in  the 
land,  which  depressions,  of  course,  they  fill,  and 
thus  are  formed  lakes.  The  smaller  of  these  lakes, 
in  summer,  dry  up  and  disappear,  leaving  only  salt 
incrustations  upon  the  ground ;  others  being  larger, 
are  permanent.  There  is  one,  the  Great  Salt 
Lake,  which  is  some  hundreds  of  miles  in  extent. 
The  water  from  these  permanent  lakes  is,  of  course, 
till  the  time  infiltrating  into  the  sand  below,  and 
evaporating  into  the  air  above,  but  before  the  whole 
quantity  is  exhausted,  the  rains  upon  the  moun 
tains  send  down  a  fresh  supply,  and  thus  the  vast 
reservoir  is  never  wholly  emptied. 

Tlin    DEPOSITS   OF   SALT. 

There  is  one  very  curious  phenomenon  which 
occurs  throughout  this  region,  and  that  is  the  ten 
dency  to  deposit  salt,  which  the  waters  indicate. 
The  great  lake,  as  its  name  denotes,  is  salt,  and 
saline  incrustations  are  found  upon  the  ground  in 
various  places  where  lakes  and  pools  have  dried 
away.  It  is  found  to  be  a  general  law,  though 
perhaps  not  universal,  that  wherever  lakes  exist 
that  are  fed  by  rivers  or  other  streams  flowing  over 


70  FACE    OF   THE    COUNTRY. 

the  surface  of  the  ground — and  not  by  springs — 
and  which  have  no  outlet  to  the  sea,  they  are  salt. 
There  may  be  exceptions,  but  this  is  the  general 
law. 

For  a  long  time  the  cause  of  this  phenomenon 
was  enveloped  in  great  mystery,  but  this  mystery 
has  at  length  been  solved.  It  is  found  that  the 
earth  contains,  and  continually  produces  saline 
substances  in  the  soil.  The  rain  falling  upon  a 
district  of  country  dissolves  a  portion  of  these  sub 
stances,  and  they  are  borne  away  by  the  water  into 
brooks  and  streams.  The  quantity  is  too  small  to 
affect  the  taste  of  the  water  while  it  is  in  this  con 
dition,  and  so  we  call  the  water  fresh,  and  it  con 
tinues  fresh  until  it  reaches  the  sea. 

If,  however,  it  never  reaches  the  sea,  but  like 
the  water  that  comes  down  from  the  mountain  sides 
into  the  great  American  desert  it  spreads  itself 
out  into  lakes  and  pools,  and  there  evaporates,  the 
salt  then  becomes  concentrated  so  as  to  manifest 
itself  very  decidedly  to  the  taste,  and  to  the  other 
senses.  For  in  the  process  of  evaporation  it  is  the 
water  only  that  is  taken  up  into  the  air.  The 
saline  particles  which  it  contained  are  all  left  be 
hind.  Thus  the  saline  element  accumulates.  Every 
fresh  rain  brings  down  an  exceedingly  small,  it  is 
true,  but  still  an  additional  supply ;  and  as  nothing 


FACE    OF    THE    COUNTRY.  7j 

is  taken  away,  the  quantity,  after  the  kpse  of  ages, 
becomes  very  great.  The  Dead  Sea,  which  is  iso 
lated  in  this  manner,  and  has  been  for  thousands 
of  years  receiving  a  small  continual  supply  from 
the  saline  substances  which  the  Jordan  and  it? 
branches  have  washed  from  the  soil,  has  become 
more  salt  than  the  ocean. 

THE   DIGGERS. 

The  great  desert  valley  which  lies  thus  between 
the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Snowy  Chain  of  the 
Pacific,  is  not  wholly  desert  and  uninhabited. 
There  are  regions  on  the  mountain  sides  and  in  the 
valleys  in  which  a  scanty  vegetation  thrives,  and 
where  reptiles  and  other  animals  of  a  humble  order 
are  produced.  There  are  even  tribes  of  Indians 
low  and  degraded  enough  to  be  fitted  to  these 
gloomy  and  desolate  abodes.  They  are  called  Dig 
gers,  from  the  fact  that  they  obtain  their  subsist 
ence  by  digging  into  the  ground  for  roots  and  for 
snails  and  reptiles  of  every  kind. 

CLIMATE   OF   THE    COUNTRY. 

For  nearly  six  months  of  the  year,  throughout 
the  whole  breadth  of  the  continent  from  east  to 
west,  the  polar  cold,  following  the  sun  as  he  with 
draws  during  that  season  of  the  year  beyond  the 


Tl  FACE   OF   THE    COUNTRY. 

equator  to  the  south,  comes  down  from  the  Arctic 
regions,  and  envelopes  all  the  northern  half  of  the 
country  in  ice  arid  snow,  and  then,  during  the  re 
maining  six  months,  the  returning  sun  brings  back 
warmth,  and  with  it  spreads  verdure  and  beaut y 
again  over  the  whole. 

During  the  winter  season,  all  along  the  northern 
frontier,  the  snow  in  the  forests  lies  often  for 
months  at  a  time  four  and  five  feet  deep,  while  the 
ice  is  at  least  half  that  thickness  upon  the  rivers 
and  ponds.  The  intensity  of  the  cold  of  course 
rapidly  diminishes  in  advancing  to  the  southward, 
and  along  the  southern  frontier  it  is  very  seldom 
that  either  snow  or  ice  is  seen. 

It  is  a  singular  circumstance  that  the  difference 
of  the  temperature  at  the  different  seasons  of  the 
year  is  very  much  greater  on  this  continent  than 
on  the  other.  There  is  about  twice  as  great  a  dif 
ference  between  the  average  heat  of  summer  and 
winter  in  Quebec  as  at  Paris,  it  being  here  much 
warmer  in  the  one  season  and  much  colder  in  the 
other.  In  Scotland  the  summers  are  not  warm 
enough  to  ripen  grapes  or  Indian  corn,  and  yet  in 
the  winters  the  sheep  can  feed  in  their  pastures 
almost  without  interruption  during  the  whole  year. 
In  the  corresponding  region  on  this  sjde  of  the  At 
lantic,  while  the  rays  of  the  summer's  sun  are  suf- 


FACE    OF   THE    COUNTRY.  73 

ficiently  concentrated  and  continuous  to  ripen  the 
grapes  and  the  corn,  the  winter's  cold  is  so  intense 
that,  for  six  long  months,  the  sheep  and  cattle  have 
no  access  to  the  pasturage  at  all,  the  whole  surface 
of  the  ground  having  become  solid  as  a  rock,  and 
being  also  buried  many  feet  under  the  snow. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Look  now  once  more  upon  the  map  and  take  a 
general  survey  of  the  country  which  it  represents, 
by  way  of  fixing  the  great  leading  features  of  it 
upon  your  mind.  There  is  the  lake  country  at  the 
north,  covered  with  forests,  and  the  summit  level 
occupied  by  four  great  inland  seas,  which  pour 
their  waters  down  over  the  precipice  of  Niagara  into 
the  lowermost  lake,  and  thence  flow  off  in  a  north 
easterly  direction  into  the  ocean.  South  of  this 
is  the  great  Mississippi  Valley,  occupying  almost 
the  whole  interior  of  the  country,  and  displaying  a 
vast  net-work  of  rivers  which,  collecting  the  waters 
of  the  whole  region,  brings  them  all  together  into 
the  center  of  the  valley  and  carries  them  through 
one  immense  channel  southward  into  the  sea.  By 
the  side  of  this  valley  to  the  westward  is  a  great 
dry  and  barren  basin,  bordered  by  mountains  on 
every  side,  and  with  no  rivers  except  such  as  are 
formed  by  streams  coming  down  from  the  moun- 
4 


74  FACE   OF  THE   COUNTRY. 

tains  after  rains,  or  from  the  melting  of  the  snows, 
and  are  soon  absorbed  by  the  thirsty  sands.  These 
two  great  basins  occupy  the  center  of  the  continent. 

To  the  westward  of  them  is  the  narrow  strip 
which  forms  the  Pacific  slope,  between  the  moun 
tains  and  the  sea,  and  to  the  eastward  of  them  is 
the  Atlantic  slope,  level  and  plain  in  the  southern 
part,  but  mountainous  and  rugged  toward  the 
north. 

These  are  the  great  leading  features  of  the  coun 
try,  which  it  is  necessary  to  keep  distinctly  in  mind 
in  studying  its  history. 


CHAPTER  III. 

REMARKABLE     PLANTS. 
DISTINCTION    OF    INDIGENOUS    AND    EXOTIC. 

A  PLANT  that  grows  originally  in  any  locality 
as  a  native  of  it  is  said  to  be  indigenous  to  that 
locality.  Those  which  have  been  brought  to  it  by 
man,  either  by  accident  or  design,  are  exotic. 
Thus  the  orange  tree  that  grows  in  a  pot  or  a  tub 
in  a  lady's  parlor  in  any  northern  part  of  America 
is  an  exotic ;  so  is  the  wheat  that  grows  in  the 
farmer's  fields — both  plants  having  been  brought  to 
that  locality  by  man.  But  the  Indian  corn,  or 
maize,  as  it  is  more  properly  called,  is  indigenous, 
that  plant  being,  so  far  as  is  known,  a  native  of  the 
country. 

Of  the  numerous  plants  found  growing  in 
America  at  the  time  it  was  discovered  by  Europ 
eans,  some  very  strongly  resembled  plants  of  the 
same  class  growing  in  the  old  world,  though  differ 
ent  in  species  from  them.  There  were  others,  how 
ever,  that  possessed  characteristics  almost  wholly 
new,  and  some  of  them  soon  began  to  attract  great 


T6  REMARKABLE    PLANTS. 

attention.  Among  these  may  be  named  the  cotton 
plant,  rice,  the  tobacco  plant,  the  potato,  and 
maize. 

7F.E   COTTON   PLANT. 

Man  is  the  only  animal  needing  clothing  that  is 
not  furnished  with  it  by  nature,  but  he  is  provided 
instead  with  the  faculty  of  clothing  himself,  and 
one  of  the  most  striking  of  the  marks  of  design, 
and  of  the  adaptation  of  a  want  to  a  supply,  which 
we  find  everywhere  around  us,  consists  in  the  pro 
vision  which  is  made  for  furnishing  him  with 
materials  for  this  work. 

In  all  the  cold  regions  of  the  earth  there  are  the 
skins  of  beasts  at  hand  in  great  abundance,  covered 
with  warm  wool  and  fur,  ready  for  his  use.  In  all 
the  warm  regions  are  the  cotton  plants. 


MA\Y   SPECIES. 


There  are  a  great  many  different  species  of  cot 
ton  plants  in  the  world,  each  great  tropical  district 
producing  its  own  kind.  These  different  species 
are  very  unlike  in  many  respects,  and  cannot  be 
changed  into  one  another  by  the  influence  of 
climate  or  soil,  or  by  different  modes  of  cultiva 
tion.  They  all  agree,  however,  in  this,  that  when 
the  seed  is  ripe  the  capsule  bursts  open,  and  pro- 


REMARKABLE    PLANTS. 


7T 


sents  a  white  fleecy  tuft  to  view,  inviting  the  naked 
savage,  as  it  were,  to  come  and  spin  and  weave 
himself  a  garment  with  it. 


THE   SAVAGK    AM)    THE    COTTON. 


Savages  have  in  all  ages  and  in  every  clime 
shown  themselves  ready  to  accept  the  invitation, 
and  in  Egypt  and  India,  and  in  many  tropical 
islands  of  the  sea,  cotton  has  been  spun  and  woven 
from  periods  long  antecedent  to  any  records  of 
history. 

America,  too,   it  was  found,  very  soon  after  it 


78  REMARKABLE    PLANTS. 

was  discovered,  had  its  cotton  plants,  and  cloth 
made  from  the  little  fleeces  which  they  bore  was 
worn  by  the  natives  in  all  the  tropical  regions. 
Specimens  of  the  cloth  have  been  found  in  some 
ancient  tombs  in  South  America,  showing  that  it 
has  been  in  use  here  from  a  very  ancient  period. 
In  the  colder  regions  the  plant  did  not  grow. 
Here  the  natives  were  compelled  to  content  them 
selves  with  the  skins  of  beasts,  and  with  such 
fabrics  as  they  could  make  from  the  fibrous  bark 
of  trees. 

THE   SEA   ISLAND    COTTON. 

The  name  of  the  genus  that  comprises  all  the 
species  of  cotton  plants  is  gossypium.  Some  of  the 
species  which  were  found  in  America  proved  to  be 
superior  to  any  others  previously  known.  There 
is  one  species,  in  particular,  which  was  found  in 
some  of  the  West  India  Islands,  and  was  brought 
to  the  United  States  in  1786,  and  is  now  cultivated 
on  the  low  and  level  islands  lying  along  the  south 
ern  coast,  that  we  described  in  the  last  chapter, 
and  which  is  far  more  valuable  than  any  other 
found  upon  the  globe.  Its  superiority  consists  in 
the  fineness  and  softness  and  length  of  the  fibre. 
It  will  not  grow  anywhere  and  retain  its  qualities 
except  on  low  rich  land  along  the  sea  shore,  and  it 


REMARKABLE    PLANTS.  79 

thrives  best  upon  the  islands  above  referred  to.     It 
is  called  on  that  account  sea  island  cotton. 

The  fibres  of  cotton,  seen  under  a  powerful 
microscope,  appear  like  long  ribbons,  perfectly 
smooth  and  continuous  from  beginning  to  end. 
They  are  transparent,  too,  though  the  reflection  of 
the  light  from  so  many  countless  millions  of  them 
when  they  lie  together  gives  the  whole  mass  a 
white  appearance,  just  as  a  mist  or  fog  appears 
white  while  the  sun  shines  upon  it,  although  it  con 
sists  of  millions  of  drops  of  perfectly  pellucid  water. 

COTTON  INTENDED  FOR  THE  CLOTHING  OF  MEN. 

It  is  not  known  that  the  tuft  of  cotton  is  of  any 
advantage  to  the  seed  which  it  envelopes,  or  that 
it  fulfills  any  other  useful  purpose  in  the  economy 
of  the  plant.  It  would  seem  that  it  was  expressly 
intended  for  the  clothing  of  man,  just  as  the  fruits 
and  the  grains  which  other  plants  produce  were 
intended  for  his  food.  There  is  this  difference 
in  the  two  cases,  however,  namely,  that  while  the 
fruits  and  grains  have  a  useful  purpose  to  accom 
plish  in  respect  to  the  plants  which  produce  them, 
as  well  as  being  available  for  the  purposes  of  man, 
the  little  fleece  which  envelopes  the  seed  of  the 
cotton  plant  seems,  so  far  as  we  know,  not  to  be 
necessary  to  the  plant  at  all,  thus  leaving  us  to  in- 


80  REMARKABLE    PLANTS. 

fer  that  nature  produces  it  with   very  special,  if 
not  exclusive,  reference  to  the  wants  of  man. 

The  birds  in  the  countries  where  it  grows  make 
great  use  of  it  too  to  give  a  soft  and  downy  lining 
to  their  nests. 

RICE. 

Several  species  of  rice  were  found  indigenous  to 
America.  Rice  is  the  most  productive  food-bear 
ing  plant,  for  the  use  both  of  men  and  animals,  that 
is  known.  It  grows  wild  in  the  water  in  low  and 
swampy  lands  along  the  borders  of  the  rivers  in 
tropical  countries.  Countless  millions  of  birds 
gather  over  all  the  region  where  it  grows  in  the 
reason  of  its  ripening,  and  multitudes  of  other  ani 
mals,  such  as  gain  access  to  the  ground  when  the 
water  subsides,  live  upon  it. 

The  Indians  used  to  gather  it  by  sailing  in 
through  the  midst  of  it  in  their  canoes,  where  bend 
ing  down  the  heads  of  the  rice,  they  would  beat 
off  the  grains  into  the  boat  by  means  of  a  sort 
of  threshing  stick  made  for  the  purpose. 

MAIZE. 

The  most  important  and  valuable  plant,  how 
ever,  for  the  American  Indians,  especially  for 
those  who  lived  beyond  the  limits  of  the  rice 


REMARKABLE    PLANTS.  83 

country,  was  the  maize,  or  Indian  corn.  A  great 
many  of  the  tribes  cultivated  this  plant  in  fields 
which  they  cleared  for  this  purpose,  by  digging 
around  the  roots  of  trees  and  burning  them  off. 
Such  fields  were  very  numerous  in  the  northern 
parts  of  the  country  when  it  was  first  discovered 
by  white  men.  Indeed,  this  plant  seems  to  have 
been  their  chief  reliance  for  vegetable  food.  They 
considered  it  as  the  special  gift  of  the  great  Spirit, 
and  it  figures  very  conspicuously  in  all  their  tradi 
tionary  legends  in  respect  to  the  creation  of  the 
world,  and  the  early  history  of  the  human  race. 

AN    INDIAN    TRADITION. 

One  of  these  legends  is  as  follows  : — 

The  first  men  who  were  created,  says  the  tradi 
tion,  proved  to  be  bad  men,  and  the  Great  Spirit, 
finding  them  to  be  incorrigible,  destroyed  them  all 
by  drowning  them  in  a  great  lake. 

This  story  of  the  destruction  of  the  first  race  of 
men  by  water  is  supposed  by  some  to  have  origin 
ated  in  a  tradition  of  the  general  deluge  described 
in  the  Sacred  Scriptures. 

After  having  thus  destroyed  one  generation,  the 


84  REMARKABLE    PLANTS. 

Great  Spirit  created  another  man,  and  finding, 
after  he  had  lived  alone  for  some  time,  that  his 
condition  was  too  solitary,  he  made  him  a  sister. 
The  brother  and  sister  lived  together  quite  happily 
for  a  while,  when  at  last  one  morning  the  brother 
said  that  he  had  had  a  dream. 

Five  young  men  he  saw  in  his  dream,  he  said, 
coming  one  after  another  to  see  his  sister,  desiring 
her  in  marriage.  She  rejected  the  first  four  and 
accepted  the  fifth.  This  was  a  token,  he  thought, 
that  if  such  young  men  should  come  she  was  to  re 
fuse  the  four  first  and  accept  the  last.  His  sister 
said  that  she  would  do  so. 

In  a  short  time  the  young  men  began  to  come. 
The  first  was  named  Tobacco.  This  was,  however, 
before  any  such  plant  as  tobacco  was  known.* 
The  young  lady  refused  his  suit,  and  he  immedi 
ately  fell  backward  and  died. 

Next  came  a  young  man  named  Bean.  He, 
too,  was  refused,  and  fell  back  and  died  like  the 
other. 

The  next  one  was  named  Pumpkin,  and  the 
next  Melon.  They  both  met  with  the  same  fate 
as  their  predecessors.  All  foil  backward  when 
they  found  themselves  rejected,  and  died. 

*  "We  use  here  the  English  names  of  the  plants  referred  to. 
Of  course  in  the  original  legend  the*  Indian  names  are  given. 


REMARKABLE   PLANTS.  85 

Finally  the  fifth  young  man  came.  His  name 
was  Maize.  The  girl  smiled  upon  him,  and  gave 
him  her  hand.  They  were  married,  and  from 
them  proceeded  all  the  subsequent  generations  of 
the  human  family. 

From  the  ground  where  the  bodies  of  the  others 
lay  buried  there  sprang  up  the  several  plants  bear 
ing  these  persons'  names,  the  tobacco,  the  pump 
kin,  the  melon,  and  the  bean. 

The  narration  of  this  legend  here  answers  the 
double  purpose  of  showing  how  important  a  place 
in  the  estimation  of  the  Indians  the  maize  plant 
occupied  as  an  article  of  food  for  them,  and  also  of 
giving  an  example  of  the  traditionary  tales  which 
have  come  down  from  former  generations  in  respect 
to  the  origin  of  the  human  family. 

THE    DISTINCTION   OF   EXOGENOUS   AND    ENDOGENOUS, 

The  maize  plant  brings  to  our  view  one  of  the 
greatest  and  most  important  distinctions  that  ap 
pear  in  the  vegetable  world,  that  of  exogenous  and 
endogenous  plants,  or,  as  they  are  sometimes 
termed,  EXOGENS  and  ENDOGENS. 

The  word  exogenous  means  outgrowing.  An 
exogenous  plant  is  one  that  grows  by  successive 
layers  deposited  at  intervals  beneath  the  bark  upon 


86  REMARKABLE    PLANTS. 

the  outside  of  the  stem,  as  is  the  case  with  nearly 
all  trees  and  shrubs  that  grow  in  cold  or  temperate 
climates.  They  all  have  a  pith  in  the  center  and 
a  bark  upon  the  outside,  and  the  wood  of  the  stem 
between  is  formed  by  layers  deposited  in  succession 
immediately  beneath  the  bark. 

An  endogenous  plant,  on  the  other  hand,  grows 
by  a  uniform  expansion  of  the  whole  substance  of 
the  stem  within.  It  has  no  pith  and  no  bark. 
The  external  surface  is  hard,  however,  and  smooth. 
It  is  sometimes  even  glossy.  The  maize  is  perhaps 
the  largest  specimen  of  an  endogenous  plant  which 
grows  in  northern  latitudes.  Very  large  speci 
mens  grow  in  tropical  regions.  The  date,  the 
bamboo,  the  rattan,  the  sugar  cane,  and  various 
other  canes,  such  as  those  used  for  fishing  poles, 
are  all  endogenous.  Indeed,  this  is  the  prevailing 
type  of  tropical  vegetation,  and  the  fact  that  maize 
is  of  this  character  seems  to  indicate  that  it  is  of 
tropical  origin. 

It  is  a  very  curious  circumstance  that  the  seeds 
of  all  exogenous  plants  have  two  lobes,  while  those 
of  endogenous  plants  have  only  one.  The  lobes  of 
a  seed  are  by  the  botanists  called  cotyledons. 
Hence  the  class  of  endogens  are  sometimes  called 
monocotyledonous  plants,  while  that  of  exogens  are 
called  dicotyledonous.  What  connection  there 


REMARKABLE    PLANTS.  87 

should  be  between  the  single  cotyledon  of  the  seed 
and  the  peculiar  character  arid  growth  of  the  endo 
genous  plant,  its  hard  and  shining  outside  surface, 
with  no  bark  and  no  successive  layers  of  wood,  and 
on  the  other  hand  between  a  two-lobed  constitution 
of  the  seed,  and  a  bark,  a  pith,  and  a  growth  by 
successive  outside  layers,  is  a  profound  mystery. 
That  there  is  some  latent  connection,  however,  is 
sure,  for  the  two  distinctions  correspond  with  each 
other  throughout  the  whole  domain  of  the  vegetable 
world. 

In  some  plants,  as  in  the  bean,  for  example,  the 
two  cotyledons  of  the  seed  coine  out  of  the  ground 
when  the  seed  germinates,  and  appear  above  the 
surface  in  the  form  of  two  thick  oval  leaves.  The 
division  exists,  though  it  is  not  so  apparent  in  the 
soeds  of  all  bark  bearing  trees,  shrubs,  and  herbs 
of  every  kind. 

THE  TOBACCO    PLANT. 

Perhaps  the  most  extraordinary  of  all  the  native 
American  plants,  considered  in  respect  to  the  in 
fluence  which  it  has  exerted,  and  the  effects  which 
it  has  produced  in  the  world  since  the  discovery  of 
America,  is  the  tobacco  plant.  The  attention  of 
the  Europeans  was  called  to  it  almost  from  the 
outset.  Columbus,  when  he  first  landed,  sent  some 


88  REMARKABLE    PLANTS. 

messengers  into  the  interior  on  an  exploring  tour, 
and  on  their  return,  among  other  things  that  they 
reported,  they  said  that  they  found  the  natives 
smoking  little  rolls  formed  of  the  leaf  of  some  sort 
of  plant.  One  end  of  these  rolls,  they  said,  the 
people  put  into  their  mouths,  and  thus  drew  the 
smoke  in  from  the  other  end  which  was  lighted. 

The  plant  was  afterward  found  to  be  a  narcotic, 
that  is,  to  have  the  power  of  producing  a  sleepy 
and  dreamy  sensation  when  taken  into  the  system. 
There  are  a  great  many  plants  produced  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  the  effects  of  which  upon  the 
system  are  narcotic,  but  those  of  the  tobacco  plant 
are  peculiar.  They  are  far  more  agreeable,  and 
perhaps  less  injurious — so  they  say  at  least  that 
use  it — than  those  of  any  other  narcotic  plant. 

It  was,  however,  sixty  or  seventy  years  after  the 
time  that  the  attention  of  Columbus  was  first  called 
to  the  plant  before  it  was  known  in  Europe.  Dur 
ing  all  this  time,  though  its  existence  and  its  effects 
were  known  to  travelers  visiting  America,  the  use 
of  it  was  regarded  as  a  repulsive  habit  of  savages, 
not  to  be  imitated  by  civilized  men.  At  length,  in 
the  year  1560,  a  small  quantity  of  it  was  sent 
across  the  Atlantic  to  a  certain  Flemish  merchant, 
and  he  sent  a  portion  as  a  curiosity  to  the  French 


REMARKABLE   PLANTS.  89 

minister  at  the  court  of  Portugal,  at  Lisbon.     The 
name  of  this  minister  was  Nicot. 

Nicot  presented  some  specimens  of  the  tobacco 
to  the  king  of  Portugal  and  to  other  distinguished 
personages,  and  they  made  trial  of  its  effects. 
They  were  all  so  much  pleased  with  the  dreamy 
exhiliration  which  it  produced  upon  them  that  they 
sent  for  more,  and  in  this  way  it  was  soon  intro 
duced  into  Europe,  where  its  fame  spread  with 
great  rapidity,  A  very  strenuous  opposition  arose 
to  the  use  of  it  at  the  same  time,  and  kings  and 
governments,  both  civil  and  ecclesiastical,  made 
earnest  efforts  to  suppress  it,  but  all  in  vain ;  and 
it  has  since,  as  is  well  known,  become  one  of  the 
most  widely  extended  articles  of  consumption,  and 
the  most  important  in  its  effects,  either  for  good  or 
for  evil,  that  the  vegetable  kingdom  produces  for 
man. 


THE  HABIT  OF   USING  TOBACCO. 


This  is  not  the  place  to  discuss  the  character  of 
these  effects.  All  that  I  shall  say  is,  that  those 
who  escape  forming  the  habit  of  using  tobacco  in 
their  youth,  always,  I  believe,  rejoice,  through  all 
the  subsequent  years  of  their  lives,  in  their  exemp 
tion  from  what  is  at  best  an  inconvenience  and  a 
peril ;  while  those  who  form  the  habit  often  spend 


90  REMARKABLE    PLANTS. 

their  lives  in  fruitless  and  vexatious  efforts  to 
escape  from  the  thralldom  of  it,  and  seldom  or  never 
recommend  to  others  to  follow  their  example  in  ac 
quiring  it. 

BOTANICAL   NAME. 

The  botanists,  when  they  came  to  procure  speci 
mens  of  the  different  species  of  the  plant,  and  to 
add  it  to  their  catalogues,  gave  to  the  genus  the 
name  Nicotiana,  from  the  name  of  the  French  min 
ister,  who  was  the  first  to  bring  it  into  notice  in 
Europe.  There  is  a  substance,  too,  which  is  ex 
tracted  from  the  plant,  which  has  a  name  of  the 
same  derivation,  Nicotine.  Nicotine  is  very  abun 
dant  in  the  leaves  of  the  plant,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  virulent  poisons  known. 


THE   POTATO. 


The  potato  is  another  very  remarkable  plant 
which  was  introduced  into  Europe  from  America, 
and  which  has  exerted  a  vast  influence — though  in 
this  case  the  influence  is  a  wholly  salutary  one — 
upon  the  condition  of  mankind.  It  is  supposed 
that  by  providing  a  cheap  and  abundant  sustenance 
for  the  lower  classes  of  people,  it  has  actually 
added  many  millions  to  the  population  of  Europe. 

It  came  in  the  first  instance  from  South  Amer- 


REMARKABLE    PLANTS.  91 

ica,  and  it  is  said  that  originally  the  tubers  of  the 
plant  were  very  small,  and  far  less  nutritious  than 
they  are  now.  The  change  has  been  produced  by 
cultivation.  It  is  always  found  that  when  man 
selects  any  plant  growing  in  a  state  of  nature,  arid 
takes  it  under  his  care,  with  a  view  of  using  it  for 
food,  nature  comes  forward  to  meet  him,  as  it 
were,  and  aid  him  in  his  effort,  by  giving  the  plant 
so  chosen  a  new  and  fuller  development  in  respect 
to  the  qualities  which  fit  it  for  his  purposes. 
Thus  the  apple,  which  was  small,  hard,  and  sour 
in  its  native  woods,  becomes  large,  tender,  sweet 
and  juicy  when  man  chooses  it  for  his  food,  and 
transfers  it  to  his  gardens.  Similar  changes  take 
place  in  the  grape,  the  peach,  the  pear,  the  po 
tato,  and  in  almost  all  other  plants  that  produce 
food  for  man. 

When,  therefore,  a  new  plast  is  discovered  in 
some  remote  and  partially  explored  country,  it  is 
not  always  easy  at  first  to  decide  upon  its  value, 
for  it  is  not  known  what  effect  cultivation  will 
have  upon  it.  There  is  a  very  important  society 
in  France,  called  the  Society  of  Acclimation,  the 
object  of  which  is  to  bring  new  plants  and  animals 
from  remote  regions  of  the  earth  to  Paris,  with  the 
view  of  ascertaining  by  experiment  what  the  effect 
of  a  new  climate  and  artificial  culture  will  have 


92  REMARKABLE    PLANTS. 

upon  them.  Several  important  discoveries  have 
already  been  made  by  this  society,  and  it  is  prose 
cuting  its  researches  with  increased  vigor,  and  on 
a  more  and  more  extended  scale  every  year. 

The  potato  met  with  almost  as  much  opposition 
at  its  first  introduction  into  Europe  as  tobacco. 
The  opposition  in  this  case,  however,  was  found  to 
be  a  prejudice,  arising  simply  from  the  fact  that 
the  plant  itself  and  the  use  of  it  for  food  were 
something  new.  The  poor  people  especially  would 
have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  It  was  a  food  fit  only 
for  beasts,  they  said,  and  they  were  determined 
that  it  should  not  be  forced  upon  them.  These 
prejudices  have  long  since  disappeared,  and  the 
once  despised  tuber  is  now  a  universal  favorite  all 
over  the  civilized  world. 


THE   MAGNOLIA. 


When  the  European  discoverers  first  landed 
upon  the  American  shores,  the  grandeur  and 
beauty  of  the  native  forests  seem  to  have  impressed 
them  more  than  anything  else  that  they  beheld. 
Among  the  trees  which  chiefly  contributed  to  this 
magnificence  was  the  magnolia,  which  was  found 
growing  very  profusely  in  all  the  southern  regions 
of  what  now  form  the  United  States.  Some  spe 
cies  of  this  splendid  class  of  plants  grow  in  the 


REMARKABLE    PLANTS.  93 

Middle  and  even  in  the  Northern  States,  but  in 
this  latter  locality  they  are  rare. 

The  magnolia  grandi/lora,  so  called,  when  in 
perfection,  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  trees  in 
the  world.  It  grows,  it  is  said,  sometimes  to  the 
height  of  seventy  feet.  Its  leaves  are  evergreen, 
and  arc  polished  on  the  surface,  and  at  the  proper 
season  of  the  year  the  whole  tree  is  covered  with  a 
profusion  of  immense  white  flowers,  which  bloom 
so  conspicuously  in  the  midst  of  the  masses  of  ver 
dure  which  surround  them  as  to  strike  the  eye  of 
the  stranger  with  wonder  and  delight. 

There  are  a  great  many  different  species  of  the 
nugiiolia  in  America,  which  vary  much  in  minor 
particulars,  such  as  in  the  size  of  the  plant  itself 
and  in  the  magnitude  and  fragrance  of  the  flowers. 
There  is  one  species  which  bears  leaves  two  or 
three  feet  long,  with  flowers  the  cups  of  which  are 
sometimes  nearly  a  foot  in  diameter.  The  flowers 
of  most  of  the  species  are  very  fragrant,  some  of 
them  so  much  so  that  a  tree,  it  is  said,  will  scent 
the  air  for  a  distance  of  three  miles.  In  some  of 
the  species  the  plants  are  small  and  shrub-like  in 
form,  but  still  producing  flowers  of  extreme  fra 
grance  and  beauty.  There  is  one  which  is  called 
the  beaver  laurel,  which  bears  leaves  and  flowers  of 
extreme  elegance,  and  diffuses  a  fragrance  so  strong 


94  REMARKABLE    PLANTS. 

that  it  perfumes  the  atmosphere  for  a  great  dis 
tance  around. 

Since  the  discovery  of  America  various  species 
of  the  magnolia  have  been  transplanted  to  Europe, 
and  cultivated  there  in  botanical  gardens  and  in 
private  pleasure  grounds,  where  they  are  regarded 
as  great  curiosities.  None  of  them  were  known  in 
Europe  until  they  were  carried  thither  from  Amer 
ica,  but  since  that  time  it  has  been  found  that 
some  species  of  the  plant  occur  in  China  and  Japan, 
though  they  are  not  identical  with  any  of  those 
found  in  the  new  world. 


THE    MAHOGANY   TREE. 


Next  to  the  potato,  which  has  so  largely  in 
creased  the  means  of  sustenance  for  the  masses  of 
the  population  in  Europe,  and  the  cotton  plant, 
which  supplies  so  many  millions  with  clothing, 
perhaps  the  most  useful  of  the  native  productions 
of  the  American  soil,  in  respect  to  the  welfare  and 
enjoyment  of  mankind  at  large,  is  the  mahogany 
tree.  This  is  a  very  large  forest  tree,  which  grows 
in  vast  numbers  in  the  West  India  Islands  and  in 
certain  parts  of  Central  America.  It  is  charac 
terized  by  a  certain  combination  of  qualities  which 
render  it  superior  as  a  material  for  making  furni 
ture,  and  for  cabinet  work  in  general,  to  any  other 


REMARKABLE    PLANTS.  95 

wood  in  the  world.  These  qualities  are  its  beauti 
ful  color,  its  hardness,  making  it  susceptible  of  a 
fine  polish,  and  the  stability  of  its  fibers,  that  is, 
its  freedom  from  all  tendency  to  warp,  shrink,  or 
split.  It  grows  moreover  in  very  massive  trees, 
from  which  planks  of  almost  any  size  may  be 
sawed,  and  logs  of  it,  containing  vast  quantities 
of  the  wood,  can  be  cut  and  transported  with  great 
facility.  Wood  has  thus  sometimes  been  procured 
from  a  single  trea  to  the  value  of  four  or  five 
thousand  dollars. 

It  was  more  than  two  hundred  years  after 
America  was  discovered  before  mahogany  began 
to  be  introduced  into  Europe  as  an  article  of  con 
sumption,  but  now  it  is  universally  employed  there, 
and  the  demand  for  it  is  so  large  that  the  British 
maintain  extensive  settlements  in  Honduras,  solely 
for  the  purpose  of  cutting  and  shipping  it. 

The  work  of  cutting  the  trees  and  floating  them 
down  the  rivers  to  the  sea  is  performed  by  the 
natives  of  the  country,  acting  under  the  superin 
tendence  of  Europeans.  These  natives  work  in 
gangs  of  thirty  or  forty  together.  When  a  tree 
has  been  selected  to  be  felled,  they  build  a  staging 
against  the  side  of  it,  ten  or  twelve  feet  from  the 
ground — the  part  of  the  stem  below  that  point  not 
valuable.  The  tree  is  then  cut  through  just 


96  REMARKABLE    PLANTS. 

above  the  staging,  and  when  it  has  fallen  the 
branches  are  lopped  off,  and  the  stem  is  divided 
into  suitable  lengths  for  convenient  transportation. 
The  logs  are  floated  down  the  little  streams  on  the 
banks  of  which  they  grew  to  the  larger  rivers,  and 
are  there  made  up  into  rafts,  which,  guided  by 
skilled  raftsmen,  are  carried  down  by  the  currents 
to  the  ports  whence  they  are  to  be  shipped  to 
foreign  countries.  Some  of  the  logs  thus  tran 
sported  are  of  immense  size  and  of  great  value. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  most  characteristic  and 
celebrated  American  plants  that  were  brought  to 
the  notice  of  mankind  after  this  continent  was  dis 
covered.  In  the  next  chapter  we  shall  consider 
some  of  the  most  remarkable  animals. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

REMARKABLE     ANIMALS. 

THE   BEAVER. 

of  the  most  remarkable  of  the  animals 
foand  in  America  is  the  beaver.  Species  nearly 
resembling  the  American  beaver  formerly  existed 
in  the  old  world,  but  they  have  long  been  nearly 
or  quite  extinct.  The  class  of  animals  to  which 
the  beaver  belongs  is  common  all  over  the  world, 
namely,  the  clas3  of  Rodentia,  which  means  gnaw 
ing  animals.  Tho  beaver  is  the  greatest  gnawer 
of  them  all. 

THE  BEAVER'S  TEETH. 

His  cutting  teeth  are  broad  and  flat,  and  are 
brought  to  so  sharp  and  hard  an  edge  that  the 
Indians  were  accustomed  to  set  them  in  handles 
and  use  them  for  cutting  instruments  before  they 
obtained  iron  and  steel  from  the  Europeans.  It  is 
said  that  by  means  of  these  teeth  the  beavers  can 
cut  off  a  stem  in  the  woods  as  big  as  a  walking 
stick  at  a  single  bite.  By  more  continued  efforts 

5 


98 


REMARKABLE   ANIMALS. 


they  can  fell  trees  of  very  considerable  size,  not 
greater,  however,  than  eiglit  or  tea  inches  in 
diameter,  though  one  trapper  in  the  service  of  a  fur 


THE    BEAVERS    AT    WORK. 


company  says  he  has  seen  trunks  eighteen  inches 
in  diameter  cut  through  by  them. 


FAME   OF    THE    BEAVER. 


The  beaver  has  acquired  a  very  extensive  fame 
among  mankind,  the  foundation  of  which  is  two 
fold.  F'rst,  the  exceeding  softness  and  r'chness 


EEMARKABLE   ANIMALS.  99 

of  his  fur,  which  made  his  skin  very  valuable  as 
clothing  to  the  native  tribes  before  Europeans  came 
to  the  country,  and  which  have  since  caused  it  to 
be  still  more  highly  valued  by  civilized  nations  all 
over  the  world  ;  and  secondly,  his  distinguished 
reputation  as  a  builder.  Both  these  characters 
of  the  animal  result  from  the  same  cause,  namely 
this,  that  he  is  intended  to  live  in  a  very  cold 
climate,  that  is,  a  climate  which  is  very  cold  for 
half  the  year,  and  to  get  his  living  from  the  roots 
of  plants  growing  under  water,  which,  during  the 
cold  season,  is  covered  with  ice  from  one  to  three 
feet  thick.  To  meet  these  exigencies  he  is  pro 
vided  with  an  extremely  thick  and  soft  fur  to  pro 
tect  him  in  his  winter  excursions  upon  the  land, 
and  with  certain  very  remarkable  building  in 
stincts,  by  which  he  is  enabled  at  all  times,  how 
ever  cold  the  weather  and  however  thick  the  ice, 
to  procure  access  to  the  water. 


HIS    SYSTEM   OF   BUILDING. 


The  first  object  of  the  beaver  in  his  engineering 
operations,  is  to  keep  the  water  deep  in  the  stream 
that  he  inhabits,  in  order  to  prevent  its  freezing  to 
the  bottom.  To  effect  this  he  forms  a  company, 
and  the  whole  band  proceed  to  build  a  dam. 
They  gnaw  down  trees  and  bushes  and  drag  them 


100  REMARKABLE   ANIMALS. 

into  the  stream  at  the  place  which  they  have 
chosen  for  the  dam,  and  pack  them  together  in  a 
close  and  impenetrable  mass  ten  or  twelve  feet 
wide  at  the  bottom,  and  diminishing  gradually  to 
the  top.  As  they  proceed  they  fill  up  all  the  in 
terstices  of  the  work  with  stones,  gravel,  mud, 
turf,  roots,  and  everything  else  that  they  can  bring. 
Of  course  a  great  deal  of  their  work  is  washed 
away  by  the  current  while  they  are  building,  but 
by  means  of  their  indomitable  perseverance,  they 
finally  succeed,  and  a  massive  and  permanent  ob 
struction  to  the  stream  is  created.  In  process  of 
time  the  trunks  and  stems  of  trees  which  they 
have  introduced  into  their  work  decay,  and  the 
whole  settles  and  consolidates  into  a  permanent 
bank,  which  endures  sometimes  for  centuries.  Of 
course,  so  long  as  the  pond  is  occupied  the  dam 
needs  constant  watching  and  frequent  repairs,  but 
this  work  the  company  always  attend  to  in  the 
most  prompt  and  systematic  manner. 

In  laying  the  materials  of  which  the  dam  is 
composed  the  beavers  go  continually  to  and  fro 
over  their  work,  trampling  down  the  soft  sub 
stances  with  their  paws,  and  patting  them  with 
their  broad  flat  tails.  This  patting  motion  of  their 
tails,  which  they  make  instinctly  when  they  walk 
about  upon  the  ground,  gave  rise  to  the  story  that 


REMARKABLE    ANIMALS.  101 

the  beaver  uses  his  tail  as  a  trowel.  This,  though 
it  is  not  literally  and  exactly  true,  is,  after  all,  not 
far  from  the  truth,  for  the  effect  of  the  patting  is 
analogous  to  that  produced  by  the  trowel  of  the 
mason  in  laying  stones  in  mortar. 


THE    HOUSES. 


Besides  the  dam,  the  beaver  builds  what  may  be 
called  houses  on  the  bank,  where  he  can  live  dur 
ing  the  winter  sheltered  from  the  cold,  and  protect 
ed  from  the  wolves  and  similar  wild  animals  that 
would  otherwise  prey  upon  him.  These  houses  arc 
built  of  logs  of  wood  formed  from  the  trunks  of 
trees,  which  the  beavers  gnaw  down  in  the  adjoin 
ing  forests,  and  then  cut  to  proper  lengths  for  their 
purpose.  They  dig  in  the  ground  to  get  good 
foundations,  arid  then  build  up  walls  four  or  five 
feet  high,  much  in  the  same  way  as  they  construct 
the  dams.  They  then  lay  other  trunks  of  trees 
across  from  one  wall  to  the  other,  and  cover  the 
roof  thus  formed  with  stones,  bushes,  moss,  mud, 
and  other  similar  materials,  and  smooth  the  whole 
over  at  last  with  their  paws  and  their  tail,  so  as  to 
make  a  sort  of  mound  of  their  work,  with  a  hollow 
in  the  center.  The  whole  structure  is  so  solid, 
and  all  its  parts  so  closely  compacted  together,  that 
the  wolverines  and  wild  cats  cannot  get  in.  It  is 


102  EEMARKABLE    ANIMALS. 

very  difficult  even  for  men  to  break  through  such  a 
solid  mass. 

From  these  habitations  subterranean  passages 
run  in  various  directions — some  opening  into  the 
pond  under  the  ice,  so  as  to  afford  the  inhabitants 
free  access  and  egress  to  the  water  at  all  times,  and 
others  lead  to  holes  and  caverns  which  the  animals 
make  as  places  of  retreat  from  their  enemies  when 
they  are  alarmed,  and  perhaps  for  warmth  in  times 
of  extreme  cold. 


WORKING    HOURS. 


It  is  a  very  curious  circumstance  that  the 
beavers  do  all  their  work  in  the  night,  and  thus  no 
person  can  watch  them  at  their  operations  except 
at  a  great  disadvantage.  In  the  day  time  they 
keep  very  quiet.  Their  motive,  probably,  in  thus 
arranging  their  time,  as  far  as  action  prompted  by 
such  animal  instincts  may  be  said  to  have  a  motive 
is  doubtless  to  avoid  attracting  the  attention  of 
their  enemies. 

The  beavers  were  once  very  numerous  through 
out  the  whole  northern  portion  of  the  territory  now 
occupied  by  the  United  States.  In  all  the  settled 
parts  of  the  country,  however,  they  have  nearly  or 
entirely  disappeared;  and  so  valuable  are  their 
skins,  and  so  closely  do  the  hunters  and  trappers 


REMARKABLE    ANIMALS.  103 

follow  up  the  work  of  taking  them,  that  it  will  not 
be  many  years,  if  the  present  state  of  things  con 
tinues,  before  the  whole  race  will  be  completely 
exterminated. 


OTHER   FUR-BEARIXG   ANIMALS. 


Besides  the  beaver,  there  are  a  great  many  other 
fur-bearing  animals,  such  as  the  mink,  the  otter, 
the  sable,  and  others  that  live  on  the  banks  of 
ponds  and  streams  in  America,  and,  like  the  beaver, 
seek  their  principal  food  in  the  water.  There  are 
none  of  them,  however,  that  build  either  dams  or 
habitations.  Perhaps  this  is  because  they  are 
smaller,  and  can  more  easily  find  space  enough 
under  the  ice  for  their  fishing  and  foraging  excur 
sions,  without  resorting  to  artificial  means  to  keep 
up  the  wrater,  and  can  also  more  easily  find  or 
make  holes  in  the  ground  sufficient  to  furnish  them 
a  safe  retreat  from  the  cold,  and  a  refuge  from  the 
hostility  of  their  enemies. 

These  animals  all  produce  fine  and  valuable  furs, 
and  are  caught  every  winter  by  the  trappers  and 
hunters  in  great  numbers,  especially  in  that  wide 
region  of  cold  and  desolate  country  which  extends 
northward  from  the  American  frontier  toward  the 
pole,  and  which  would  be  almost  valueless  to  men, 
except  for  these  productions. 


104  REMARKABLE   ANIMALS. 

CURIOUS  PHENOMENON. 

There  is  one  thing  very  curious  about  this  class 
of  animals  that  get  their  living  in  a  great  measure 
under  water,  and  are  consequently  obliged  to  be 
often  submerged,  even  in  the  coldest  winter 
weather,  and  that  is,  that  their  fur  becomes  very 
little  wet  by  such  immersion.  A  dog,  after  plung 
ing  into  a  river,  comes  out  wet  to  the  skin,  but  the 
fur  of  a  beaver  or  a  mink,  on  account  probably  of 
some  oleaginous  substance  with  which  it  is  dressed, 
does  not  allow  the  water  to  penetrate,  so  that,  after 
swimming  across  a  stream,  or  burrowing  among 
roots  at  the  bottom  of  a  pond,  the  animal  seeks  the 
bank  again,  and  comes  out  with  only  the  outer  sur 
face  wet,  the  skin  beneath  being  as  dry  as  when 
he  went  in.  Thus,  when  swimming  in  the  coldest 
water  he  is  never  cold. 


THE  BUFFALO. 


The  buffalo,  or  bison,  is  a  sort  of  wild  bull,  with 
a  monstrous  shaggy  head  and  ferocious  aspect. 
They  are  gregarious  animals,  that  is,  they  live  and 
feed  together  in  immense  herds.  Almost  all  ani 
mals  that  feed  on  grass  and  herbage  are  gregarious, 
while  beasts  of  prey  are  generally  solitary  in  their 
habits.  It  is  necessary  for  them  to  be  so,  for  in 
order  to  succeed  in  their  hunting,  they  must  prowl 


REMARKABLE   ANIMALS.  105 

about  alone,  or  watch  in  ambush,  patiently  and  in 
silence,  for  their  prey.  There  are  some  exceptions, 
as  in  the  case  of  wolves,  for  example,  which  usually 
hunt  together  in  packs.  There  is  a  reason  for  this 
exception,  too,  for  the  wolves  live  generally  by 
killing  and  devouring  animals  larger  than  them 
selves,  and  so  are  obliged  to  combine  their  strength 
in  order  to  overpower  their  prey. 

The  buffalos  are  gregarious  by  habit  in  order 
that  they  may  the  better  defend  themselves  from 
their  enemies ;  and  so  abundant  is  the  food  furnish 
ed  for  them  by  the  luxuriant  grass  of  the  prairies, 
and  so  boundless  is  the  extent  of  the  plains  over 
which  they  roam,  that  the  herds  increase  to  an 
almost  incredible  extent.  Travelers  sometimes  find 
the  whole  region  black  with  them  in  every  direc 
tion  as  far  as  they  can  see.  In  one  case  that  is  de 
scribed,  the  country  wras  covered  with  a  herd,  or  an 
aggregation  of  herds,  so  vast  that  the  party  jour 
neying  were  six  days  in  passing  through  them. 
The  aspect  which  they  presented  with  five,  ten, 
and  sometimes  twenty  thousand  in  sight  at  a  time, 
spreading  in  every  direction  over  the  plains,  some 
bellowing,  some  fighting,  others  advancing  defiant 
ly  toward  their  supposed  foes,  and  tearing  up  the 
soil  with  their  hoofs  and  horns — the  earth  tremb 
ling  under  their  tramp,  arid  the  air  filled  with  a 

5* 


106  REMARKABLE   ANIMALS. 

prolonged  and  portentous  murmur,  presented  to 
the  view  of  the  traveler  a  really  appalling  spec 
tacle. 

The  bellowing  of  a  large  herd  is  sometimes 
heard  at  a  distance  of  two  miles ! 

ANNUAL   MIGRATION. 

Of  course  the  frosts  and  snows  coming  down 
from  the  Arctic  regions  in  winter  bind  up  arid 
cover  large  tracts  of  land  which  in  summer  are 
clothed  with  luxuriant  herbage.  The  grazing  ani 
mals,  accordingly,  move  southward  to  great  dis 
tances  as  the  season  changes.  These  migrations, 
in  respect  to  the  numbers  and  the  solid  mass  of  the 
moving  columns,  surpass  in  grandeur  all  other 
spectacles  that  the  animal  kingdom  affords. 

SWIMMING   THE   STREAMS. 

The  country  being  intersected  by  rivers  and 
streams  in  every  part,  as  shown  by  the  map,  would 
seem  to  interpose  great  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
the  passage  of  the  animals  to  and  fro.  The  diffi 
culties  are  great,  but  they  are  not  insurmountable. 
The  herd,  on  approaching  a  river,  if  it  is  fordable, 
descend  the  bank  in  a  massive  column,  and  wade 
or  swim  across.  If  the  descent  of  the  bank  is  not 
already  gradual,  it  soon  becomes  so  by  the  tramp- 


REMARKABLE    ANIMALS.  107 

ling  of  so  many  heavy  hoofs,  the  most  daring,  of 
course,  impelled  partly  by  their  courage  and  partly 
by  the  pressure  from  behind,  going  down  first  arid 
breaking  the  way. 

If  there  are  calves  in  the  herd,  and  the  bank  re 
mains  so  steep  that  they  dare  not  go  down,  their 
mothers  always  wait  with  them  upon  the  margin, 
in  great  apparent  distress,  and  make  every  effort  to 
encourage  them  to  go  down.  Sometimes  it  is  said 
that  the  calves  contrive  to  get  upon  the  backs  of 
the  cows,  and  are  conveyed  in  that  way  across  the 
stream. 

It  not  unfrequently  happens  that  the  landing 
proves  not  to  be  good  when  the  animals  arrive  on 
the  further  side,  so  that  instead  of  a  hard  beach  by 
which  to  ascend  to  the  level  of  the  plain,  they  find 
themselves  sinking  into  quicksands  or  mire.  The 
scene  which  is  witnessed  in  a  case  like  this  presents 
sometimes,  it  is  said,  an  aspect  almost  awful.  The 
older  and  stronger  beasts  are  perhaps  able,  after 
long-continued  and  desperate  struggles,  in  which 
they  trample  down  and  climb  over  the  others  in 
their  excitement  and  terror,  to  regain  their  footing 
and  clamber  up  the  bank ;  but  often  many  are 
unable  to  extricate  themselves,  and  perish  miser 
ably — their  bodies  being  borno  away  by  the  cur 
rent  down  the  stream. 


108  REMARKABLE    ANIMALS. 


CROSSIXG   ON   THE   ICE. 

The  case  is  still  worse  sometime3  when  the  river 
is  frozen,  and  the  herd  is  consequently  compelled 
to  cross  upon  the  ice.  The  animals  have  no  means 
of  judging  of  the  strength  of  the  ice  except  by 
taking  the  opinion  of  the  leaders,  who  go  down 
cautiously,  and  step  in  a  timid,  hesitating  manner 
upon  the  margin  of  it,  and  then  if  it  gives  no  sign 
of  weakness  under  the  weight  of  a  single  tread, 
they  conclude  it  to  be  strong  and  proceed.  But  it 
may  be  strong  enough  to  bear  one,  while  far  too 
weak  to  sustain  the  weight  of  a  hundred. 

Still  the  whole  herd  follow  on,  and  perhaps 
when  the  head  of  the  column  has  advanced  toward 
the  middle  of  the  stream,  some  cracking  sound  or 
other  token  of  weakness  gives  the  alarm.  The 
leaders  stop,  the  others  press  on,  the  ice  becomes 
immensely  overloaded,  and  presently  goes  down 
with  a  great  crash,  carrying  hundreds  into  the 
water.  Then  ensues  a  scene  of  struggling  and 
commotion  and  terror  impossible  to  describe.  Ani 
mals  of  every  age  and  size  are  writhing  and  plung 
ing  in  the  water,  vainly  trying  to  climb  up  upon 
cakes  of  ice,  or  to  force  their  way  through  the 
floating  fragments  to  the  shore — bellowing  all  the 
time  with  terror.  Some  at  last  gain  the  bank,  but 


REMARKABLE   ANIMALS.  109 

others  are  swept  away  in  great  numbers  beneath 
the  unbroken  ice  below  and  drowned. 


TRAILS. 


In  making  their  journeys  the  buffalos  move  in 
columns,  those  behind  keeping  in  the  track  of 
those  before,  and  in  this  way  they  make  trails 
which  soon  become  well  worn;  and  being  pretty 
wide,  on  account  of  the  columns  being  formed  with 
several  animals  abreast,  they  look  like  wagon  roads. 
These  roads  extend,  in  some  places,  for  hundreds 
of  miles  across  the  country.  When  they  are  once 
made,  they  are  followed  year  after  year  by  succes 
sive  herds.  In  this  respect  the  habits  of  the  buf 
falo  correspond  with  those  of  domestic  cows  in  the 
pastures  of  New  England,  who  lay  out  paths  on 
the  hill  sides  and  in  the  woods,  and  continue  to  use 
them,  when  they  are  once  worn,  for  many  years. 


USE   OF   THE    BUFFALO. 


The  buffalo,  as  may  readily  be  supposed,  was  a 
great  resource  to  the  Indians.  His  flesh  furnished 
him  with  an  abundant  supply  of  excellent  food. 
His  skin  served  for  cloth,  and,  when  cut  into 
thongs,  for  cords.  His  horns  were  made  into  ves 
sels  and  implements  of  various  kinds.  Some  tribes 
also  made  boats  of  his  hide  by  stretching  the  hide, 


110 


KEMARKABLE   ANIMALS. 


when  green,  over  a  frame  made  of  a  suitable  form 
for  the  purpose  intended.  This,  of  course,  was  a 
very  clumsy  sort  of  craft,  but  being  made  without 
any  seam,  was  perfectly  water-tight  and  very  ser 
viceable. 


THE   BUFFALO-SKIN    BOAT. 


The  buffalo  has  many  enemies,  but  the  greatest 
of  all  is  civilized  man.  So  long  as  the  vast  herds 
were  attacked  only  by  bears,  packs  of  wolves,  and 
Indians  armed  simply  with  spears  and  arrows,  they 
were  able  to  hold  their  ground.  The  bulls  of  the 
herd,  with  their  prodigious  strength,  and  the  for- 


REMARKABLE    ANIMALS.  Ill 

midable  weapons  with  which  nature  has  provided 
them  in  their  horns,  would  maintain  terrible  con 
flicts  with  any  of  these  foes,  and  would  often  come 
off  victorious  from  the  fight.  But  when  the  white 
man  came,  mounted  upon  a  horse  and  armed  with 
a  rifle,  no  choice  was  left  to  him  but  to  abandon 
the  field ;  and  in  proportion  as  the  tide  of  emigra 
tion  moves  onward  toward  the  west,  the  buffalo  re 
tires  before  it;  and  will  probably  in  time  entirely 
disappear. 

The  frontiers,  however,  of  his  old  dominion  are 
drawn  in  very  slowly  and  reluctantly,  so  that  even 
the  steamboat  sometimes  overtakes  him.  Cases 
have  occurred  in  which  steamboats,  in  feeling  their 
way  up  some  of  the  western  branches  of  the  Mis 
sissippi  and  Missouri,  have  come  upon  a  herd  of 
buffalos  crossing  the  stream,  and  the  poor  beasts, 
in  the  midst  of  their  amazement  at  the  spectacle, 
have  been  shot  by  the  rifles  of  the  passengers  from 
the  deck. 

There  is  one  case  mentioned  in  which  a  steam 
boat  passed  so  near  a  buffalo  swimming  in  the 
water  that  a  passenger  on  board,  who  had  learned 
the  use  of  the  lasso  in  South  America,  threw  a 
rope,  with  a  slip  noose  at  the  end,  through  the  air 
and  caught  him  by  the  horns.* 

*  See  froiitispiece. 


112  REMARKABLE    ANIMALS. 

The  crew  then  pulled  the  poor  beast  alongside 
of  the  steamer,  and,  getting  slings  under  him, 
hoisted  him  on  board  and  butchered  him  for  his 
beef. 

THE   TURKEY. 

The  turkey  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  gifts 
made  by  the  new  world  to  the  old.  Until 
after  the  discovery  of  America  no  such  ani 
mal  was  ever  known  in  Europe,  Asia,  or  Africa, 
though  the  forests  and  prairies  of  America  were 
filled  everywhere  with  flocks  of  these  birds.  The 
turkeys  were  accustomed  to  migrate  to  and  fro 
from  north  to  south,  according  as  the  food  they 
lived  upon  was  in  season.  In  these  journeys  they 
marched  on  foot  as  long  as  they  could  keep  the 
ground,  only  using  their  wings  when  there  was  a 
river  to  cross,  or  some  other  obstacle  to  be  sur 
mounted. 

When  they  came  to  a  river  they  used  to  pause 
long  upon  its  bank  before  venturing  to  attempt  the 
passage.  They  sometimes  remained  so  for  two  or 
three  days,  during  which  time  the  old  males  would 
walk  to  and  fro,  strutting  and  gobbling  with  the 
greatest  self  importance,  and  with  the  air  of  being 
engaged  in  a  deliberation  of  the  utmost  consequence 
to  all  the  world. 


REMARKABLE   ANIMALS  113 

At  length,  as  it  seemed,  they  would  succeed  in 
raising  their  courage  to  the  proper  point,  and  they 
would  proceed  to  climb  up  to  the  topmost  branches 
of  the  tallest  trees  growing  near  the  river.  There 
they  would  select  their  positions,  and  after  a  great 
deal  more  gobbling  and  strutting  and  innumerable 
false  starts,  they  would  commence  their  flight. 
The  oldest  and  strongest  birds  would  succeed  in 
flying  across  the  river  before  coming  down  to  the 
ground,  but  the  younger  and  feebler  ones,  especi 
ally  if  the  river  was  wide,  would  fall  into  the 
water  at  a  greater  or  less  distance  from  the  bank. 

Then  would  follow  a  scene  of  floundering, 
scrambling  and  swimming,  astonishing  to  behold, 
the  result  of  which  would  be  that  the  greater  pro 
portion  of  the  flock  would  at  last  reach  the  land, 
though  many  of  them  would  be  carried  by  the  forco 
of  the  current  far  down  the  stream. 

The  value  of  the  flesh  of  the  turkey  for  food 
was  soon  made  known  to  Europeans,  and  the  bird 
is  now  domesticated,  and  has  become  very  abun 
dant,  in  almost  every  part  of  the  world. 


THE   ALLIGATOR. 


An  alligator  is  an  immense  reptile  of  the  lizard 
kind,  which  haunts  the  inlets,  rivers,  swamps  and 


114  REMARKABLE  ANIMALS. 

lagoons  of  the  southern  States  in  great  numbers. 
When  full  grown  it  is  a  very  terrible  animal,  on 
account  of  its  great  size  and  strength.  It  is  some 
times  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  long.  It  crawls 
slowly  on  the  land,  but  it  can  move  through  the 
water  with  great  speed.  Its  body  is  covered  with 
horny  scales,  which  form  a  coat  of  mail  that  is 
proof  against  a  musket  ball.  It  is  only  near  the 
head  and  shoulders  that  the  skin  can  be  penetrated 
by  even  a  rifle  bullet. 

Of  course  the  alligator  is  a  very  formidable  ani 
mal,  the  more  so  from  his  having  an  immense 
mouth,  which  is  armed  with  rows  of  teeth  of 
terrible  aspect.  Generally,  however,  he  is  pretty 
quiet  in  his  disposition,  and  is  often  seen  lying 
harmless,  basking  in  the  sun,  on  the  shores  of  his 
lagoon,  or  crawling  slowly  along  through  the 
canes  and  flags  that  grow  out  of  the  slime.  But 
sometimes,  for  example  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year,  or  when  he  is  hungry,  or  has  been  in  any 
way  irritated  or  disturbed,  he  is  very  ferocious,  and 
in  such  a  case  he  becomes  a  dangerous  as  well  as 
an  ugly  enemy. 

The  alligator,  like  most  other  reptiles,  is  very 
prolific.  Indeed,  one  great  function  that  the  ani 
mal  seems  destined  to  fulfill  in  the  economy  of 
nature  is  that  of  producing  eggs  and  rearing  young, 


REMARKABLE   ANIMALS.  115 

to  be  consumed  as  food  by  birds  of  prey.  Only  a 
small  portion  of  its  progeny  survives  the  dangers 
which  thus  beset  the  period  of  their  infancy. 

The  mothers  make  their  nests  in  quite  an  arti 
ficial  manner.  They  are  built  upon  the  ground, 
on  the  banks  of  lazy  streams,  or  in  the  cane-brakes 
or  marshes,  and  are  of  the  form  of  great  shallow 
cups,  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter.  They  are 
built  of  mud  and  grass,  and  a  great  many  arc 
usually  constructed  together,  so  as  to  form  quite  a 
village. 

In  these  nests  the  mother  alligator  lays  a  great 
number  of  eggs,  which  she  packs  in  mud,  in 
several  successive  layers,  one  above  the  other,  in 
the  most  singular  manner.  First  she  covers  the 
floor  of  her  nest  with  a  sort  of  mortar  which  she 
spreads  over  it,  made  of  mud  and  slime,  and  upon 
this  lays  one  layer  of  eggs.  This  layer,  when 
complete,  she  covers  with  another  stratum  of  mor 
tar,  and  over  this  lays  another  tier  of  eggs.  The 
eggs  have  hard  shells,  and  are  somewhat  larger 
than  hen's  eggs,  and  the  monster  lays  so  many  of 
them  as  to  build  up  her  nest  sometimes  four  or  five 
feet  high  with  these  alternate  layers. 

When  this  work  is  finished  the  eggs  are  left  to 
be  hatched  by  the  warmth  of  the  sun,  though  the 
mother  remains  by  them  to  guard  them  from  the 


116  REMAEKABLE   ANIMALS. 

attacks  of  the  pilferers  that  are  always  at  hand  in 
great  numbers  to  steal  and  devour  them.  It  has 
been  said  that  in  thus  guarding  these  deposits  the 
alligators  in  some  sense  make  common  cause,  so 
that  when  one  of  the  mothers  has  gone  away  to 
seek  food,  the  others  who  remain  watch  over  and 
protect  her  nest,  and  it  is  with  some  instinctive 
idea  of  this  advantage  that  they  adopt  the  plan  of 
building  their  nests  together. 

There  are  sometimes  not  less  than  a  hundred 
and  fifty  or  two  hundred  eggs  in  a  single  nest.  Of 
these,  however,  but  a  portion  are  hatched,  and  still 
fewer  of  the  young  arrive  at  maturity.  The  young 
that  are  hatched  are  watched  and  defended  by  their 
mothers  with  great  care,  but  they  are  exceedingly 
tender  and  helpless,  and  great  numbers  of  them 
are  seized  and  devoured  by  beasts  and  birds  of 
prey. 

The  greatest  enemy  of  the  alligator,  however, 
is  man.  In  gradually  advancing  the  settlement 
of  the  countries  in  which  they  live,  he  intrudes 
more  and  more  upon  their  haunts,  and  as  their 
size  is  too  great  to  allow  them,  like  other  reptiles, 
to  secrete  themselves  from  their  pursuers,  their 
numbers  are  all  the  time  continually  diminishing, 
and  it  is  not  improbable  that  before  many  years 
they  may  entirely  disappear. 


REMARKABLE   ANIMALS.  117 

The  crocodile  of  the  Nile  is  an  animal  of  the 
same  general  character  with  the  alligator,  but  is  of 
an  altogether  different  species. 

THE    EAGLE. 

America  is  celebrated  for  its  eagles.  Indeed, 
one  of  the  species,  the  bald  eagle,  so  called,  has 
been  selected  as  the  emblem  of  the  national  power. 
The  eagles  are  all  birds  of  prey,  and  they  are  re 
markable  for  their  size  and  the  strength  of  their 
pinions.  They  seek  their  habitations  on  the  sum 
mit  of  the  various  mountain  ranges  and  on  lofty 
cliffs  overhanging  the  sea.  From  these  elevated 
positions  they  survey  vast  regions  of  the  air  and 
watch  for  their  prey.  For  this  purpose  they  are 
endowed  with  powers  of  vision  of  almost  incredible 
acuteness. 

The  eagle  has  always  been  held  in  high  estima 
tion  by  the  American  Indians,  and  his  plumage 
has  been  prized  more  than  that  of  any  other  bird 
for  the  dress  and  the  decorations  of  warriors.  This 
high  estimation  is  derived  partly  from  the  war 
like  courage  and  propensities  of  the  bird  itself,  and 
partly  probably  from  the  difficulty  of  taking  him. 
Thus,  eagles'  feathers  attached  to  a  head-dress  of  a 
native  chief,  or  ornamenting  the  shaft  of  a  spear, 
were  not  only  emblems  of  courage  and  strength 


118  REMARKABLE    ANIMALS. 

proper  to  signalize  the  martial  spirit  of  the  wearer 
as  a  warrior,  but  they  were  also  trophies  of  the 
daring  and  skill  which  he  displayed  as  a  huntsman, 
in  scaling  the  lofty  heights  where  alone  they  were 
to  be  procured. 

The  eagle  is  very  long-lived.  Some  specimens 
have  been  known  to  live  from  eighty  to  a  hundred 
years. 

COCHINEAL. 

The  forests  of  America  produce  a  great  many 
different  woods  which  have  been  used  extensively 
in  dyeing,  and  for  other  similar  purposes  in  the 
arts,  but  the  most  important  pigment  that  has  been 
derived  from  the  productions  of  this  country  is 
cochineal. 

The  cochineal  is  an  insect.  It  is  of  the  form  of 
a  little  bug.  It  is  a  native  of  Mexico.  It  feeds 
upon  certain  species  of  cactus.  Immense  numbers 
of  these  plants  are  cultivated  in  Mexico  and  Peru, 
for  the  sake  of  the  insects  that  feed  upon  them. 
The  work  of  collecting  these  insects,  which  is  very 
slow  and  tedious,  is  performed  by  women,  who  go 
about  amon^  the  cactus  plants  and  brush  the  bugs 
off  into  a  basket  with  a  little  brush  made  of  the 
tail  of  a  squirrel,  or  of  some  other  animal. 

The  insects,  when  collected,  are  killed  by  being 


KEMARKABLE   ANIMALS  119 

thrown  into  boiling  water,  and  then  are  carefully 
dried  by  being  placed  in  ovens,  or  exposed  to  the 
sun.  The  article  is  then  ready  for  market. 

The  cochineal  insect  produces  a  beautiful  crim 
son  dye,  though  a  scarlet  color  can  be  obtained 
from  it  by  a  certain  mode  of  using  it.  It  is  an 
article  of  very  great  value.  Several  millions  of 
dollars'  worth  are  annually  exported  from  South 
America,  and  it  is  so  precious  that  it  is  regarded 
in  the  markets  of  the  world  almost  in  the  li^ht  of 

o 

gold.  Indeed  it  sometimes  fulfills  the  functions  of 
gold  by  being  used  for  remittances  and  for  making 
payments. 

THE    RATTLESNAKE    AND    HUMMING   RIRD 

There  are  two  other  animals  that  remain  to  be 
mentioned  among  those  that  are  peculiar  to  Amer 
ica — animals  that,  however  dissimilar  in  other 
respects,  are  alike  in  this,  namely,  that  each  is 
marked  by  a  very  striking  peculiarity  of  the  same 
general  kind,  while  nothing  at  all  approaching  to 
either  exists  in  any  other  part  of  the  known  world. 
These  two  animals  are  the  rattlesnake  and  the 
humming-bird.  The  peculiarity  which  gives  them 
special  distinction  is  a  power  of  producing  a  sound  by 
the  motion  of  a  part  of  their  bodies — the  humming 
bird  by  its  wings  and  the  rattlesnake  by  its  tail. 


120  REMARKABLE  ANIMALS. 


THE   RATTLE. 

The  tail  of  the  rattlesnake  is  provided  with 
several  joints,  formed  of  a  bony  substance,  and 
put  together  in  a  loose  manner,  so  that  when 
shaken  they  produce  a  rattling  sound.  Whether 
the  design  of  nature  in  giving  the  snake  this  in 
strument  is  to  enable  it  to  warn  other  animals  and 
men  of  the  danger  of  coming  too  near,  or  for  somo 
other  purpose,  we  can  only  conjecture. 

There  is  a  mystery,  too,  in  respect  to  its  venom. 
Some  have  supposed  that  this  venom  was  given  to 
it  as  a  means  of  killing  its  prey  before  devouring  it. 
Other  serpents  are  endowed  with  the  power  of 
killing  their  prey  by  the  prodigious  force  which 
they  can  exercise  in  coiling  round  the  limbs  of  the 
animal  they  have  seized,  breaking  its  bones  in  the 
terrible  gripe  which  they  give  it,  and  thus  putting 
a  sudden  and  total  stop  to  all  the  vital  operations. 
All  serpents  seem  to  require  some  extraordinary 
means  of  killing  their  prey,  for  they  are  formed  to 
live  upon  animals  much  larger  than  themselves, 
and  which  they  could  not  kill  by  any  ordinary 
means. 

There  is  a  considerable  number  of  species  of 
serpents  with  rattling  tails  in  America,  but  it  is 
singular  that  there  are  none  of  any  kind  in  the 


REMARKABLE    ANIMALS.  121 

old  world.     The  whole  tribe  of  rattlesnakes  is  an 
American  production  altogether. 

THE    RATTLESNAKE    JIOIIE    SINNED    AGAINST   THAN   SINNIXO. 

Notwithstanding  the  hatred  with  which  the  rat 
tlesnake  is  regarded  and  the  opprobrium  which  is 
cast  upon  him  by  man,  he  seems,  after  all,  to  be 
more  sinned  against  than  sinning,  for  he  really  is 
a  very  quiet  and  peaceable  beast,  that  has  no  quar 
rel  with  man,  and  never  injures  him  unless  he 
honestly  supposes  that  he  is  called  to  do  it  in  self- 
defense.  If  he  sees  a  man  coining  toward  him,  he 
crawls  quietly  away,  if  a  way  of  retreat  is  open  to 
him.  If  not,  and  if  his  enemy  still  approaches 
with  an  aggressive  air,  he  feels  himself  justified  in 
defending  himself  by  the  only  means  with  which 
nature  has  provided  him.  He  winds  himself  up 
into  a  spiral  coil,  with  his  head  projecting  from  the 
center  of  it,  and  as  soon  as  his  enemy  comes  near, 
he  darts  forward  and  upward,  and  strikes  his  fang 
into  his  enemy's  flesh,  at  a  point  as  high  from  the 
ground  as  he  can  attain. 

HE   ACTS    ALWAYS   ON   THE   DEFENSIVE. 

He,  however,  seldom  or  never  attacks  man  of  his 
own  accord,  but  warns  him  away  by  sounding  his 
rattle  when  he  sees  him  coming  inadvertently  near. 


122  REMARKABLE    ANIMALS. 

It  results  from  this  his  peaceable  disposition  that, 
though  the  prairies  in  the  western  country,  and  the 
forests  at  the  south,  are  full  of  rattlesnakes,  num 
bering  probably  millions  upon  millions,  and  the 
slaves  upon  the  plantations,  and  the  farmers  and 
emigrants  and  railway  laborers  in  the  woods,  are 
continually  encountering  them,  it  is  very  rare  that 
lives  are  lost  from  their  venom.  How  great  must 
be  the  forbearance,  we  might  almost  say  the  gen 
erosity  exercised  by  the  reptile,  to  lead  to  such  a 
result  as  this ! 

This  generosity,  however,  if  generosity  it  be, 
seems  to  be  very  little  appreciated  by  man. 
Man  everywhere  attacks  and  kills  every  rattlesnake 
that  he  sees.  He  strikes  him  on  the  neck  with  a 
club  if  he  wishes  to  kill  him  at  a  blow  ;  and  if,  on 
the  other  hand,  which  is  more  frequently  the  case, 
he  wishes  to  tease  and  torment  him  for  a  while  be 
fore  putting  him  to  death,  or  if  he  wishes  to  cap 
ture  him,  he  comes  with  a  forked  stick,  and  sets 
the  prongs  of  it  into  the  ground,  one  on  each  side 
of  the  poor  victim's  neck.  He  then  grasps  his 
neck  behind  the  stick  with  his  hand  and  takes  him 
up  with  impunity.  It  is  even  possible,  while  hold 
ing  him  thus,  to  extract  his  fang,  or  the  little  bag 
of  poison  at  the  root  of  it,  and  thus  render  him  en 
tirely  harmless. 


REMARKABLE    ANIMALS.  123 

THE    HUMMING   BIRD. 

From  the  rattlesnake,  one  of  the  most  repulsive 
of  all  animals  to  man,  we  turn  with  pleasure  to  the 
humming  bird,  an  animal  that  likewise  owes  a  part 
of  his  celebrity  to  a  sound  that  he  makes,  though 
the  instrument  with  which  he  makes  it  is  a  pair  of 
wings  instead  of  a  tail.  Whatever  of  mystery 
there  may  be  about  the  rattling  made  by  the  rep 
tile,  there  is  none  in  respect  to  the  humming  noise 
made  by  the  bird.  The  sound  is  due  simply  to 
the  rapidity  of  the  vibrations  of  the  wings,  and 
this  is  due  to  the  smallness  of  the  bird.  For  the 
smaller  the  bird  and  the  smaller  the  wings,  the 
more  rapid  must  be  the  motion  of  them  to  sustain 
the  weight  of  the  body  in  the  air. 

VIBRATIONS   PRODUCING   SOUND. 

Sound  is  produced  by  the  vibration  of  any  sub- 
Btance  in  contact  with  the  air,  by  which  vibrations 
are  imparted  to  the  air,  and  thus  transmitted  to 
the  ear.  If  the  vibrations  are  slow  no  audible 
sound  is  produced.  Thus  the  motion  of  the  pen 
dulum  of  a  clock,  the  wagging  of  the  tail  of  a  dog, 
the  motion  of  the  hand  up  and  down  in  the  air,  as 
rapid  as  it  is  possible  to  make  such  a  motion,  pro 
duce  no  sound. 

As  we  increase  the  rapidity  of  such  vibrations, 


124  REMARKABLE    ANIMALS. 

however,  we  at  last  come  to  a  limit  where  a  sound 
begins  to  be  heard.  This  is  about  thirty-two  beats 
in  a  second.  The  humming  bird's  wings,  there 
fore,  must  move  to  and  fro  more  than  thirty-two 
beats  in  a  second,  and  it  is  simply  in  consequence 
of  the  fact  that  his  body  and  wings  are  so  small 
that  the  rapidity  of  the  motion  of  his  wings  comes 
within  the  limit  above  referred  to,  and  sound  is 
produced.  The  wings  of  a  swallow  make  less  than 
thirty-two  pulsations  in  a  second,  and  thus  that 
bird  moves  through  the  air  silently. 

As  the  rapidity  of  the  vibrations  of  any  moving 
tody  increases  the  sound  becomes  higher  in  pitch. 
Thus  the  wings  of  a  mosquito,  moving  much  more 
rapidly  than  those  of  a  humming  bird,  make  a 
more  acute  sound.  As  the  rapidity  increases  still 
more,  we  reach  at  last  a  point  where  sound  is  no 
longer  produced.  This  limit  varies  with  different 
ears,  but  with  most  persons  it  is  at  about  eight 
thousand  vibrations  a  second  that  sound  ceases  to 
be  heard.  This  upper  limit,  however,  is  extremely 
vague. 

The  number  of  vibrations  corresponding  with 
the  middle  c  of  a  musical  instrument,  according  to 
the  diapason  recently  established  by  the  French 
government,  is  five  hundred  and  twenty-two.  That 
of  a  sound  one  octave  below  is  half  as  great ;  of  one 


REMARKABLE    ANIMALS.  125 

an  octavo  above  is  twice  as  great.  Thus  by  find 
ing  the  pitch  of  the  sound  made  by  the  wings  of  a 
humming  bird,  by  means  of  a  piano  forte  or  other 
instrument,  the  number  of  vibrations  made  by  them 
in  a  second  can  be  approximately  ascertained. 

THE   HUMMING   BIRD'S   MODE    OF   LIFE. 

The  humming  bird  is  designed,  like  the  bee,  to 
feed  on  the  sweet  juices  found  in  flowers.  But 
being  a  bird,  and  thus,  small  as  he  is,  too  large 
and  heavy  to  alight  upon  the  flower  and  rest  his 
weight  upon  it,  he  is  provided  with  wings  to  poise 
himself  in  the  air,  and  a  long  slender  bill  to  serve 
as  a  pipe  with  which  to  draw  out  the  juices  from 
the  innermost  recesses  of  the  largest  corollas. 

There  are  a  great  many  different  species  of  hum 
ming  birds,  all  peculiar  to  America.  None  are  found 
in  any  part  of  the  old  world.  There  is  a  difference 
in  the  form,  and  also  in  the  plumage  of  the  different 
species.  In  some  of  them  the  feathers,  especially 
those  of  the  neck  and  breast,  are  splendidly  irides 
cent,  glowing  with  all  the  colors  of  the  richest 
gems.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  beautiful  effect  of 
these  colors  when  the  bird  is  seen  poised  in  the  sun 
before  the  flower  from  which  he  is  extracting  the 
juices  with  his  long  and  slender  bill.  At  such  a 
time  his  win^s  cannot  bo  seen,  so  swift  is  their 

O  ' 


126  REMARKABLE   ANIMALS. 

motion ;  or  if  a  glimpse  of  them  is  obtained,  they 
produce  only  the  effect  of  a  little  quivering  mist  at 
his  sides.  He  seems  like  a  wingless  bird  poised 
motionless  in  mid  air. 

If  at  such  a  time  anything  occurs  to  alarm  him 
or  to  attract  his  attention,  he  darts  off  through  the 
air  a  little  way,  quick  as  a  flash,  then  suddenly 
stopping  and  poising  himself  upon  his  wings,  he 
rests  as  motionless  as  if  he  were  standing  upon  the 
ground.  Then,  after  contemplating  for  a  moment 
the  object  that  alarmed  him,  he  shoots  off  again 
through  the  air,  with  a  motion  so  quick  that  the 
eye  can  scarcely  follow  him — and  is  gone. 

Sometimes  artificial  flowers  are  made  of  the 
feathers  of  the  humming  bird,  especially  those 
taken  from  the  breast — the  different  colors  being 
arranged  to  represent  the  different  parts  of  the 
flower.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  gorgeous  beauty 
of  these  imitations. 

GENTLENESS   OF  DISPOSITION. 

Humming  birds  are  of  a  very  gentle  disposition, 
and  they  could  be  easily  tamed  were  it  not  that 
they  are  of  too  delicate  a  constitution  to  bear  con 
finement;  and  thus,  whenever  they  are  brought 
into  the  house  and  shut  up  in  a  cage  or  an  aviary, 
they  soon  droop  and  die.  While  they  are  thus 


REMARKABLE    ANIMALS.  127 

kept  they  must  be  fed  with  fresh  flowers,  or  else 
with  honey,  thinned  with  a  little  water. 

They  build  their  nests  upon  shrubs  or  upon  the 
stems  of  vines  or  other  climbing  plants,  not  far 
from  the  ground,  and  the  nests  are  so  small  that, 
when  seen  from  a  short  distance,  one  of  them  might 
very  easily  be  mistaken  for  a  little  tuft  of  moss,  or 
a  moss-covered  knot  upon  the  wood.  There  are 
two  eggs  only  laid  in  the  nest.  They  are  white, 
and  not  much  larger  than  peas. 

These  birds  are  very  common  in  the  West  Indies 
and  in  all  the  tropical  parts  of  America.  A  young 
English  gentleman,  who  was  about  embarking  for 
England,  happened,  just  before  he  went  on  board 
his  ship,  to  find  a  humming  bird's  nest  with  the 
mother  upon  it,  sitting.  lie  approached  very 
gently  to  the  place.  The  bird  watched  him 
anxiously,  but  she  was  too  intent  upon  her  duty 
to  her  eggs  to  fly  away.  The  gentleman  carefully 
cut  off  the  branch  and  carried  it,  nest,  bird,  and 
all,  on  board  the  ship,  intending  to  present  his 
prize  to  a  lady  of  his  acquaintance  on  reaching  his 
native  land. 

He  fed  the  bird  on  honey  and  water  during  the 
voyage.  She  became  quite  tame,  and  continued 
on  the  nest  until  the  little  birds  were  hatched,  but 
before  the  end  of  the  voyage  she  died. 


128  REMARKABLE  ANIMALS. 

The  little  birds  lived  to  reach  the  land.  The 
gentleman  presented  them  to  the  lady  for  whom 
the  present  was  intended.  One  of  them  died  very 
soon,  but  the  other  lived  a  month  or  two,  and  was 
so  tame  that  he  would  put  his  bill  to  his  mistress's 
lips  and  draw  out  honey  and  water  from  a  little 
supply  which  she  had  provided  for  him  there.  It 
was  to  him  just  as  if  her  lips  had  been  the  petal  of 
a  flower. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE      INDIAN      K  A  C  E  S 

QUESTION   OP   THE   ORIGIN   OF    THE   DIFFERENT   RACES  OF   MEN. 

WHETHER  it  would  seem  more  probable,  judging 
by  the  light  afforded  us  by  the  observation  of 
nature  alone,  and  without  regard  to  the  declara 
tions  of  Scripture,  that  all  the  different  races  of 
men  have  descended  from  one  common  stock,  or 
that  each  race  had  a  different  origin,  and  thus  now 
forms  a  different  species  from  the  rest,  is  a  ques 
tion  that  has  been  much  discussed  by  naturalists 
and  philosophers. 

In  making  these  inquiries  several  considerations 
have  operated  upon  the  minds  of  philosophers  to 
lead  them  to  set  out  of  the  case  the  testimony  of 
the  Scriptures.  In  the  first  place,  some  of  the 
most  distinguished  naturalists  and  philosophers  do 
not  believe  in  the  divine  authority  of  the  Scrip 
tures,  but  regard  them  simply  as  ancient  writings, 
of  great  moral  and  historical  value  indeed,  but  yet 
not  at  all  of  infallible  authority  on  any  subject. 


130  THE    INDIAN    RACES. 

Others,,  who  believe  in  the  Scriptures  as  a  revela 
tion  of  the  divine  will,  think  that  they  are  intended 
to  guide  us  only  in  matters  of  faith  and  practice, 
and  that  it  was  not  the  design  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in 
inditing  them,  to  teach  us  science  and  philosophy, 
but  to  leave  us,  in  respect  to  those  branches  of 
knowledge,  entirely  to  our  own  observations  and 
studies  in  the  field  of  nature  itself. 

There  is  a  third  class  still,  namely,  those  who 
think  that  while  every  inference  which  may  be 
fairly  drawn,  even  from  the  incidental  allusions 
contained  in  the  Scriptures,  may  be  entirely  relied 
upon  as  a  truth  revealed  to  us  by  divine  authority, 
whatever  may  be  the  subject  to  which  it  relates, 
we  are  not  to  take  these  inferences  with  us,  either 
to  aid  or  restrict  us,  when  we  go  forth  into  the 
field  of  the  world  as  students  of  nature,  but  are  to 
act  independently,  and  avail  ourselves  of  the  lights 
of  science  and  philosophy  alone.  They  think,  in 
other  words,  that  the  true  object  which  we  should 
have  in  view  in  studying  nature  is  simply  to  learn 
what  nature  herself  teaches,  and  that  in  doing  this 
we  must  interpret  what  we  see  solely  by  the  light 
of  our  own  reason  and  reflection.  We  may  distrust 
the  conclusions  that  we  come  to,  when  we  arrive  at 
them,  if  we  find  that  they  conflict  with  convictions 
obtained  in  other  ways,  but  in  the  process  of 


THE    INDIAN    RACES.  131 

coming  to  these  conclusions  we  must  be  guided 
honestly  and  entirely  by  what  our  observations  of 
nature  herself  teaches,  and  by  those  alone. 


DISTINCTION.  OF   RACES. 


There  are  four  or  five  and  perhaps  many  more 
distinct  races  of  men  upon  the  earth,  each  sepa 
rated  from  the  rest  by  very  decided  and  apparently 
very  permanent  lines  of  demarcation.  The  differ 
ences  are  not  merely  those  of  color,  or  of  any 
other  external  mark,  but  they  relate  quite  as  much 
to  the  internal  organization  of  the  individual,  both 
bodily  and  mental.  These  different  races  are  sub 
divided  into  many  others,  all  marked  by  distinctive 
lines,  more  or  less  decisive  and  permanent.  The 
great  question  for  naturalists  to  solve  has  been 
whether,  judging  from  the  light  of  science  alone, 
without  any  aid  from  the  declarations  of  Scripture, 
we  should  conclude  that  all  these  different  forms 
have  descended  from  one  pair. 

Now,  although,  in  coming  to  their  conclusion  on 
this  subject,  philosophers  have  set  the  authority  of 
the  Scriptures,  for  the  time  being,  aside,  it  is  remark 
able  that  the  conclusion  which  they  have  come  to 
corresponds  with  and  confirms  the  testimony  of  the 
Mosaic  records ;  for  the  whole  body  of  naturalists, 
with  few  if  any  exceptions,  have  concurred  in  the 


132  THE    INDIAN    RACES. 

opinion  that  the  differences  between  the  various 
races  of  men,  great  as  they  are,  and  permanent  as 
they  seem  to  be  within  the  periods  subject  to  our 
observation,  are  not  specific  differences — that  is, 
that  they  are  not  such  as,  judging  from  observa 
tions  made  in  other  divisions  of  the  animal  world, 
imply  a  separate  original  parentage.  In  other 
words,  that  there  is  nothing  in  them  which  should 
preclude  the  idea  of  their  all  being  descended  from 
a  single  pair. 

CAUSES  OF  THE  DIFFERENCES  OBSERVED. 

It  has  been  very  common  to  presume,  on  the 
supposition  that  all  the  races  of  men  were  de 
scended  from  a  single  pair,  that  the  only  causes 
which  can  account  for  the  diversities  of  race  which 
we  now  observe  consist  in  differences  of  climate,  of 
food,  of  modes  of  life,  and  of  other  such  external 
influences  as  these.  And  some  persons,  after  at 
tempting  to  prove  that  such  causes  as  these  are 
not  sufficient  to  account  for  changes  so  great,  have 
inferred  that  all  the  races  could  not  have  descended 
from  the  same  pair. 

But  there  is  another  class  of  causes  of  a  totally 
different  nature  from  these,  and  far  more  powerful, 
which  have  undoubtedly  operated  very  extensively 
in  producing  these  changes.  The  existence  of 


THE     INDIAN     RACES.  133 

them  is  well  known,  though  the  nature  and  opera 
tion  of  them  is  very  imperfectly  understood. 

These  causes  are  the  hidden  influences  which 
produce  those  mental  or  bodily  peculiarities  which 
are  born  with  us,  in  contradistinction  from  those 
which  are  subsequently  produced  by  education,  the 
circumstances  of  life,  or  external  influences.  A 
child  whose  skin  is  browned  or  darkened  by  play 
ing  in  the  sun  is  an  example  of  one  species  of 
effect.  A  child  born  with  a  dark  complexion  is  an 
example  of  the  other  kind. 

The  kinds  of  difference  between  parents  and  off 
spring  of  this  innate  character  are  very  numerous, 
and  sometimes  very  striking.  A  gentle  and  ami 
able  father  and  mother  may  give  birth  to  a  very 
froward  and  irritable  child.  It  is  often  the  case,  it 
is  true,  that  such  frowardness  and  irritability  may 
be  the  result  of  bad  management,  but  still  there  are 
cases  where  it  is  impossible  to  doubt  that  they  have 
their  origin  in  the  inner  constitution  of  the  body  or 
of  the  mind.  In  the  same  manner,  parents  who 
both  have  black  hair  and  black  eyes  may  give 
birth  to  a  child  with  blue  eyes  and  auburn 
hair. 

We  see  the  same  differences  spontaneously  aris 
ing  from  births  in  the  animal  creation.  There  are 
black  cats  and  grey  <*.ats,  and  tawny  cats  and  white 


134  THE    INDIAN    RACES. 

cats,  and  yet  nobody  supposes  that  these  differences 
are  produced  by  differences  of  climate,  or  by  any 
other  external  cause  whatever. 

IMPORTANT   CONCLUSION. 

We  conclude  from  this  that  even  if  it  were 
proved  that  differences  of  climate  and  other  similar 
causes  are  not  sufficient  to  account  for  the  great 
diversities  which  prevail  among  the  different  races 
of  men,  it  is  very  far  from  being  proved,  on  that 
account,  that  these  several  races  must  each  have 
had  an  independent  origin.  There  are  other 
causes,  far  more  deeply  seated  and  more  radical 
and  powerful  in  their  action,  which  may  have 
operated  in  addition  to  these,  and  perhaps  in 
combination  with  them,  to  produce  the  results. 

THE   DISTINCTION    OF   RACE   FIXED   AND   PERMANENT. 

The  differences  which  we  observe  in  comparing 
the  different  races  of  men  with  one  another,  al 
though  we  grant  that  they  have  resulted  either 
from  the  operation  of  secret  internal  or  of  known 
external  causes,  or  both,  taking  effect  upon  one 
single  species  which  descended  from  one  single 
pair,  are  still  very  great,  and  they  are  fixed  and 
permanent.  By  this  it  is  not  meant  that  they 
are  absolutely  and  perpetually  permanent,  for  it  is 


THE    INDIAN    RACES.  135 

obvious  that  the  operation  of  the  same  causes 
which  produced  them  may  remove  or  reverse  them, 
but  only  that  they  are  permanent  through  any 
moderate  number  of  successive  generations,  and 
not  removable  by  means  of  any  outward  influences 
which  man  can  bring  to  bear  upon  them.  In 
other  words,  as  they  have  not  probably  been  pro 
duced  by  the  operation  of  external  causes  which 
are  under  the  control  of  men,  so  they  cannot  be 
removed  by  such  causes. 

The  operation  of  outward  influences,  such  as 
those  of  education  and  mode  of  life,  will  produce 
great  effects  •  but  such  causes  do  not  change  the 
real  and  essential  characteristics  of  the  race.  The 
Indian  remains  an  Indian,  and  the  African  an 
African,  under  all  the  changes  of  circumstances  to 
which  he  can  be  subjected,  and  in  a  vast  majority 
of  cases  he  approximates  toward  the  characteristics 
of  the  Caucasian  race  only  so  far  as  Caucasian 
blood  flows  in  his  veins. 

OBJECTION    TO   THIS   VIEW. 

Some  persons  are  very  reluctant  to  admit  that 
any  race  of  men  is  marked  by  a  fixed  and  per 
manent  characteristic  of  inferiority  to  the  others, 
for  fear  that  this  will  be  made  an  excuse  by  unjust 
and  wicked  men  for  treating  them  oppressively  and 


136  THE   INDIAN    RACES. 

cruelly ;  but  there  surely  can  be  no  justification 
for  tyranny  in  the  weakness  and  helplessness  of  the 
object  of  it.  To  believe  thai;  people  of  the  Indian 
race,  for  example,  are  inferior  in  intellectual  capa 
city  and  power  to  those  of  European  descent,  is  no 
reason  for  believing  that  it  is  right  to  defraud  and 
oppress  them  by  depriving  them  of  their  lands  or 
other  property  without  a  fair  equivalent,  or  being 
guilty  of  any  wrong  or  injustice  toward  them 
whatever. 

THE   WEAK   ESPECIALLY  ENTITLED   TO   PROTECTION'    FROM   THE 
STRONG. 

Indeed,  the  contrary  of  this  is  true.  The  weak 
and  the  helpless  in  any  community,  instead  of 
being  rightfully  subject  to  the  oppression  of  the 
strong,  are  specially  entitled  to  protection.  If  the 
Author  of  nature,  in  order  to  provide  for  the  more 
efficient  and  easy  performance  of  some  of  the  subor 
dinate  functions  of  society  to  which  a  high  state 
of  civilization  gives  rise,  or  for  the  occupation  of 
certain  portions  of  the  earth  not  adapted  to  a  high 
state  of  civilization,  or  which  are  from  any  cause 
temporarily  precluded  from  it,  has  prepared  races  of 
men  with  faculties  and  sentiments  which  adapt 
them  to  this  work  or  to  those  situations — faculties 
and  sentiments  which  fit  them  to  be  the  employed 


THE    INDIAN    RACES.  137 

rather  than  the  employers,    to  labor  rather  than  to 
plan,  to   endure    fatigue  rather  than   assume   arid 
bear    responsibility — surely    all    generous    minds 
among  the  higher  races  will  see   in  that  relation  a 
reason,  not  for  taking  advantage  of  their  power  to 
do  injustice  to  those  thus  placed  at  their  mercy, 
but  rather   to  use   it  for  their  protection.     They 
will  feel  bound,    when   engaging  in  any  common 
operation,  as,  for  example,  in  employing  them  to 
hunt  and  trap  for  furs  among  the  lakes  and  forests 
of  the    north    country,    to    take   care    that  while 
they  themselves   plan  and   superintend,  and  their 
less  capable  auxiliaries  labor  and  toil  to  execute, 
the   avails   of  the    common    industry   shall    be  so 
divided  as   to  give  to  their  subordinates  the  fair 
and  proper  share,   whatever   that  may  be,   for  the 
part  which   they  perform.      In   this  way,  though 
themselves  in  no  respect  equal  to  the  higher  races, 
they  may  enjoy  equal  rights  with  them,  namely, 
the  same  protection  and  the  same  enjoyment  of  the 
fair  and  proper  reward,  comparatively  small  though 
it  be,  for  the  performance  of  the  inferior  functions 
which  their  capacity  enables  them  to  fulfill. 

There  is  no  need,  therefore,  of  maintaining  that 
the  Indian  is  equal  to  the  Caucasian,  in  order  to 
prevent  our  having  an  excuse  for  oppressing  and 
abusing  him.  The  more  inferior  and  the  more 


138  THE    INDIAN    RACES. 

helpless   he  is,  the   greater    is   his   claim   on  the 
higher  and  nobler  race  for  justice  and  protection. 

ORIGINAL   PEOPLING   OF   THE    CONTINENT. 

On  the  supposition  that  the  American  continent 
was  originally  peopled  by  a  branch  or  branches  of 
the  human  family  migrating  from  the  old  world, 
there  have  been  a  great  many  speculations  in  re 
spect  to  the  time  and  the  manner  of  their  first 
introduction. 

In  the  first  place,  they  may  have  come  from  the 
northern  part  of  Europe,  by  the  way  of  Norway 
and  Iceland,  to  Greenland,  and  thence  down 
through  Labrador  to  the  lake  country,  and  thus 
have  spread  through  the  whole  interior  of  the 
continent. 

The  supposition  that  they  may  have  come  in 
this  way,  or  at  least  that  some  may  have  so  come, 
is  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  there  is  a  great  re 
semblance  between  some  of  the  Indian  tribes  and 
the  Scandinavian  nations,  so  called,  who  inhabit 
the  northern  parts  of  Europe  and  Asia. 

CPOSSING   THE    NORTHERN   SEAS. 

In  respect  to  the  manner  in  which  these  sup 
posed  emigrants  crossed  the  seas  in  coming  from 
the  north  of  Europe  on  one  side,  or  the  north  of 


THE    INDIAN    RACES.  139 

Asia  on  the  other — for  the  water  which  separates 
the  new  continent  from  the  old  is  still  narrower  on 
the  western  side  than  it  is  on  the  eastern — several 
suppositions  may  be  made.  They  may  have  been 
blown  off  from  their  own  shores  by  accident.  Tho 
people  in  all  those  regions  live  a  great  deal  upoij, 
the  sea.  They  make  boats  of  a  very  substantial 
character,  and  evince  a  great  deal  of  skill  an<i 
courage  in  navigating  them  In  fact,  they  aro 
compelled  to  acquire  great  skill  and  to  exercise 
great  courage  in  these  pursuits,  for  they  obtain 
almost  all  their  living  on  the  ice-floes,  or  upon  the 
water  between  them,  and  thus  they  are  in  constant 
danger  of  being  caught  in  the  ice  and  carried 
away.  These  ice-floes  are  kept  by  the  winds  and 
currents  in  a  state  of  constant  motion,  and  are  car 
ried  by  them  hundreds  of  miles  over  the  sea,  and 
a  party  caught  upon  one  of  them  might,  perhaps, 
by  making  a  hut  of  their  boat  and  killing  seals 
and  white  bears  and  other  animals  that  frequent 
them  for  food,  succeed  in  making  quite  a  long 
voyage  on  such  an  embarkation  in  safety. 

TRAVELING   UPOX   THE    ICE. 

Then,  again,  a  whole  tribe  or  congeries  of  fami 
lies  might  undertake  to  migrate  purposely  over  the 
ice,  to  escape  from  enemies  or  from  famine.  They 


140  THE    INDIAN    RACES. 

might  travel  very  far  on  such  expeditions,  over  ice 
either  fixed  or  moving,  with  sledges  drawn  by  dogs 
or  reindeer.  The  Laplanders  and  the  Esquimaux, 
it  is  found  at  the  present  day,  make  very  long 
journeys  in  this  way. 

THE    PACIFIC   ISLANDERS. 

Scattered  over  almost  all  parts  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean  are  groups  of  islands  which  are  inhabited  by 
races  of  men  that  are  almost  as  much  at  home  on 
the  sea  as  upon  the  shore.  A  boat  for  the  water  is 
sometimes  an  object  of  even  greater  necessity  to 
them  than  a  hut  for  the  land ;  and  the  magnitude 
of  some  of  the  boats  which  the  islanders  that  are 
most  advanced  in  these  arts  are  able  to  construct 
and  navigate  is  truly  wonderful. 

Indeed,  these  islanders,  like  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Arctic  regions,  have  every  possible  inducement 
to  become  seamen,  and  they  enjoy  every  facility 
for  learnin'g  and  practicing  the  nautical  art.  In 
the  first  place,  there  is  no  possible  communication 
between  the  different  islands  of  the  same  group 
except  by  water.  Then,  moreover,  between  the 
different  parts  of  the  same  island  the  passage  is 
made  much  more  easily  by  sea  than  by  land,  for 
the  water  near  the  shore  is  almost  always  smooth, 
being  protected  by  coral  reefs  coming  up  to  the 


THE    INDIAN    RACES.  143 

surface  at  a  short  distance  from  the  land,  while  the 
way  through  the  interior  is  obstructed  by  almost 
impassible  thickets,  or  is  made  rough  and  imprac 
ticable  by  volcanic  rocks,  which  the  savages  have 
no  means  of  leveling  or  removing. 

It  results  from  this  state  of  things  that  these 
islanders  all  acquire  a  great  degree  of  skill  in  navi 
gating  the  seas  around  them.  The  children  take 
to  the  water  at  the  earliest  age.  They  find  it 
always  warm,  and.  as  they  wear  no  clothing,  it  is 
difficult  to  say  which  they  love  best — playing  in 
the  surf  upon  the  water,  or  in  the  sun  upon  the 
shore. 

The  children  begin  their  attempts  at  navigation 
by  means  of  any  floating  substance  that  they  can 
lay  their  hands  upon,  almost  as  soon  as  they  can 
walk.  Shipmasters,  who  touch  at  these  islands  to 
get  fresh  provisions  for  their  crews,  say  that  they 
have  known  children  not  more  than  three  years  old 
to  swim  out  to  the  ship  anchored  in  the  offing, 
having  only  a  cocoa  nut,  with  the  husk  left  on,  to 
buoy  themselves  up  with  in  the  water. 

In  some  of  the  islands  the  natives  build  canoes 
of  great  size  and  of  very  complicated  construction, 
and  capable,  some  of  them,  of  conveying  a  consid 
erable  supply  of  provisions.  With  these  they  un 
dertake  quite  extended  expeditions,  either  of  war, 


144  THE     INDIAN     RACES. 

of  commerce,  or  of  migration.  Such  boats  as  these 
must  often  be  driven  away  from  their  course,  and 
carried  by  winds  and  currents  to  distant  lauds.  It 
is  undoubtedly  in  this  way  that  the  innumerable 
islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  have  become  stocked, 
and  it  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  similar  migra 
tions  may  have  taken  place  in  former  ages  to  the 
American  shores. 

CURRENTS   OF   THE   OCEAN. 

This  supposition  is  rendered  still  more  probable 
from  the  fact  that  it  is  now  ascertained  that  the 
ocean  is  subject  to  the  flow  of  certain  great  per 
manent  currents,  which  have  the  velocity  and  the 
force  and  the  steady  continuance  of  the  currents 
of  rivers,  only  on  a  much  grander  scale  than  any 
rivers  in  the  world.  A  large  canoe  driven  out  of 
its  course,  and  containing  a  good  supply  of  provi 
sions,  might  be  carried  a  very  long  distance  on  one 
of  these  ocean  streams,  even  without  any  assistance 
from  the  wind. 

ANTIQUITY   OF   THE    ABORIGINAL   POPULATION   OF   AMERICA. 

The  remoteness  of  the  period  in  which  the  pro 
genitors  of  the  Indian  tribes  came  to  America  is 
shown  by  the  number  of  distinct  Indian  languages 
which  have  been  formed,  and  by  the  great  dissimi- 


THE    INDIAN    RACES.  145 

larity  which  exists  between  these  languages  and 
any  now  known  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 

A  language  once  formed,  even  though  unwrit 
ten,  is  extremely  permanent.  It  is  subject  to 
slight  modifications  and  changes,  it  is  true,  such  as 
those  by  which  different  dialects  are  formed  in  dif 
ferent  provinces  of  the  same  country ;  but  to  make 
a  radical  change  in  the  form  and  structure  of  a 
language  requires  a  very  long  course  of  time. 
Now,  the  languages  of  America  are  essentially  dif 
ferent,  not  only  in  the  words  but  in  the  whole 
system  on  which  they  are  founded,  from  any  lan 
guages  of  the  old  world,  and  they  are  also  divided 
into  several  distinct  classes,  which  are  almost 
totally  different  from  each  other. 

This  shows  that  the  process  of  bringing  the 
American  languages  to  their  present  state  has 
been  going  on  for  a  very  long  time  and,  conse 
quently,  that  the  separation  of  the  races  speaking 
them  from  the  original  stock  in  the  old  world 
must  have  taken  place  at  a  very  remote  period. 

ANCIENT    NATIONS   OF   NORTH   AMERICA, 

At  the  time  when  America  was  discovered  na 
tions  were  found  in  the  central  and  southern  part 
of  the  continent  that  had  attained  to  quite  a  high 
degree  of  civilization,  and  many  ruins  of  ancient 


146  THE    INDIAN   RACES. 

temples  and  cities  are  now  from  time  to  time  dis 
covered  in  those  countries  overgrown  with  enor 
mous  trees,  the  roots  of  which  are  intertwined  with 
the  remains  of  other  enormous  trees,  which  show 
that  the  structures  that  they  cover  must  have  been 
in  ruins  for  a  great  many  centuries. 

There  are  no  such  ruins  of  ancient  cities  in  the 
territory  now  belonging  to  the  United  States,  but 
there  are  remains  of  ancient  fortifications  and 
mounds,  of  an  extremely  curious  character,  scat 
tered  through  very  extensive  regions  of  the  west 
ern  country,  which  indicate  the  existence  there  in 
former  times  of  a  higher  civilization  and  different 
modes  of  life  from  those  manifested  by  the  present 
race  of  Indians. 

DURABILITY   OF    EARTHWORKS. 

It  is  a  very  singular  fact  that  works  formed  of 
earth  and  grassed  over  are  among  the  most  per 
manent  and  lasting  of  all  the  constructions  made 
by  man.  The  grassy  mounds  in  the  country  of 
Nineveh  and  Babylon  have  remained  without  the 
least  apparent  change  for  many  centuries.  There 
are  also  in  England  old  druidical  mounds,  and 
rings  in  the  grass  called  fairy  rings,  which  have 
been  known  and  described  in  books  from  the 
earliest  periods  of  English  history,  and  they  re- 


THE   INDIAN    RACES.  147 

main  now,  from  century  to  century,  apparently 
without  any  change,  while  hundreds  of  massive 
buildings  of  stone  have  gone  entirely  to  decay,  and 
the  ruins  of  those  that  still  remain  are  found  to 
change  rapidly,  if  neglected,  from  year  to  year. 
In  the  first  settled  portions  of  the  United  States, 
too,  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  oldest  structures 
of  which  any  traces  now  remain  are  the  beaver 
dams. 

In  fact,  any  artificial  conformation  of  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  once  well  covered  with  greensward, 
and  left  undisturbed  by  the  plough,  seems  to  be 
more  enduring  than  any  other  work  of  man. 

The  remains  of  ancient  fortifications  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  are  very 
numerous,  and  they  are  on  a  very  extended  scale. 
They  are  laid  out  regularly,  and  denote  the  exist 
ence  of  considerable  towns,  or  of  places  of  encamp 
ments  for  large  bodies  of  men.  In  some  of  them 
spaces  of  fifty  and  a  hundred  acres  are  inclosed. 

ANCIENT    FIELDS. 

There  are  also  in  certain  parts  of  the  prairies 
marks  of  ancient  corn  fields,  of  very  great  size, 
and  extending  over  the  country  for  a  hundred  and 
fifty  miles.  The  land  in  these  fields  lies  in  ridges, 
like  those  always  seen  in  a  corn  field  that  is  left, 


148  THE    INDIAN    RACES. 

after  the  corn  is  harvested,  to  grass  itself  over, 
without  being  leveled  by  the  plough  and  harrow. 
These  ridges  are  so  regular,  and  they  are  confined 
so  strictly  to  circumscribed  and  well  defined  fields 
— fields,  too,  occupying  situations  exactly  suitable 
for  the  cultivation  of  corn — as  to  leave  no  room  for 
doubt  in  respect  to  the  nature  of  them. 

They  are  very  ancient  too,  as  is  proved  by  the 
trees  often  found  standing  upon  them.  Some  per 
sons,  in  examining  these  fields,  once  caused  an  oak 
tree  to  be  cut  down  which  was  growing  in  one  of 
them,  and  on  counting  the  layers  of  wood  they 
found  that  the  tree  was  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  years  old.  This  carries  the  time  when  the 
fields  were  cultivated  far  beyond  the  settlement  of 
the  country  by  Europeans ;  and  inasmuch  as  no 
Indian  tribes  have  been  known,  since  the  coming 
of  Europeans,  to  cultivate  the  ground  so  exten 
sively,  it  is  supposed  that  these  fields  denote  that 
in  ancient  times  there  existed  a  more  numerous 
and  civilized  population  over  all  this  region  than 
exists  at  the  present  day. 

THE   COPPER   MINES. 

This  opinion  is  confirmed  by  certain  indications 
that  are  observed  in  the  Lake  Superior  copper 
region.  Ancient  mines  are  found  here  with  traces 


THE    INDIAN    RACES.  149 

of  former  workings  that  arc  on  a  scale  far  beyond 
the  capacity  of  the  Indians  of  the  present  day. 

Copper  is  a  metal  that  comes  into  use  in  the 
history  of  civilization  much  earlier  than  iron,  for 
copper  is  often  found  in  a  metallic  and  malleable 
condition,  in  its  native  state,  while  iron,  being  so 
easily  oxidizable,  almost  always  exists  in  the  form 
of  an  ore,  which  it  is  necessary  to  reduce  by  a 
highly  artificial  process  before  the  iron  can  be  ob 
tained.  To  make  implements  of  copper  it  is  only 
necessary  to  find  masses  of  native  metal  of  the 
proper  size,  such  as  are  often  found  upon  or  near 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  then  to  bring  them 
to  the  required  shape  by  hammering  them  with 
smooth  and  hard  stones,  or  by  grinding  them  upon 
rough  ones. 

Accordingly,  as  might  naturally  be  expected, 
copper  implements  and  ornaments  have  been,  from 
time  immemorial,  very  much  in  use  among  all  the 
Indian  tribes.  But  at  the  period  of  the  discovery 
of  America,  and  since  that  time,  the  supply  of  cop 
per  for  these  purposes  was  obtained  almost  entirely 
from  specimens  found  near  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  There  is  no  evidence  of  any  systematic 
or  extended  workings  of  the  mines  within  a  period 
of  several  centuries  ;  but  there  is  abundant  evi 
dence  that  before  that  time,  as  is  shown  by  the  age 


150  THE   INDIAN   RACES. 

of  the  trees  growing  over  the  old  excavations, 
mining  operations  in  this  region  were  carried  on 
upon  a  very  considerable  scale.  The  miners  of 
the  present  day  frequently  come  to  old  trenches, 
half  filled  in  arid  grassed  over,  and  with  immense 
trees  growing  in  them,  at  the  bottom  of  which, 
when  they  dig  them  out  anew,  they  find  remains 
of  the  ancient  works.  They  come  down,  when 
digging  i^  such  places,  to  great  masses  of  copper 
blocked  up  on  skids  of  wood  which  have  been 
preserved  from  decay  by  lying  all  the  time  in 
water,  with  marks  of  fire  upon  them,  and  broken 
tools  lying  all  around. 

The  tools  which  these  old  miners  used  were  very 
curious.  The  principal  one  was  a  sort  of  hammer 
made  of  a  smooth  and  hard  stone.  The  handle  of 
these  hammers,  instead  of  passing  through  the 
stone,  was  formed  of  a  withe,  and  was  carried 
round  it  in  a  small  groove,  which  they  contrived 
in  some  way  to  pick  in  the  stone.  The  withe  was 
brought  round  the  stone  in  this  groove  while  it  was 
green,  and  the  two  ends  were  then  twisted  to 
gether  and  secured  by  a  cord  wound  round  tight, 
close  to  the  stone.  Then  when  the  withe  became 
dry  it  formed  a  very  stiff  and  substantial  handle, 
and  the  groove  prevented  it  from  slipping  off  the 
stone. 


THE   INDIAN    RACES.  151 

Trees  have  been  found  growing  over  ancient 
works  in  these  mines  with  five  hundred  concentric 
layers  of  wood  in  them,  proving  that  the  excava 
tions  and  the  works  carried  on  in  them  were  finally 
abandoned  at  least  five  hundred  years  ago. 

THE   MOUNDS   OP    FLORIDA. 

Mounds  of  a  somewhat  similar  character  to  those 
existing  in  the  western  country  are  found  in  Florida, 
many  of  which  contain  human  bones  in  considerable 
quantities,  indicating  that  they  were  used  as  places 
of  sepulture.  In  one  the  bones  of  a  very  large 
person  were  found  placed  in  a  horizontal  position 
in  the  center,  and  around  it.  in  a  circle,  the  skele 
tons  of  a  number  of  other  persons — these  last  bein^ 
in  a  sitting  position. 

In  another  mound  there  were  two  layers  of 
skeletons,  one  above  the  other.  In  both  layers  the 
bodies  were  arranged  in  a  circle,  with  the  heads 
toward  the  center  and  the  feet  toward  the  circum 
ference  of  the  mound. 

In  most  of  these  mounds  fragments  of  pottery 
were  found.  These  relics  consist  of  pieces  of 
broken  jars,  kettles,  stew-pans,  porringers,  and 
other  domestic  utensils  of  that  sort.  In  many 
cases  the  vessels  were  whole,  with  the  exception  of 
a  small  hole  in  the  bottom  of  each,  which  appeared 


152  THE    INDIAN   RACES. 

to  have  been  purposely  made.  This  may  have 
been  done  to  render  the  utensils  useless,  in  order 
that  there  might  be  no  inducement  to  tempt  any 
persons  to  violate  the  graves  with  the  intent  of 
robbing  them  of  articles  buried  with  the  deceased 
owners. 

Some  of  these  specimens  gave  indications  of  con 
siderable  art  in  the  manufacture  of  them,  being 
ornamented  with  various  devices  worked  in  the 
clay.  One  had  a  hollow  handle,  which  was  so 
fashioned,  in  connection  with  the  cavity  of  the 
vessel  itself,  as  to  indicate  that  it  was  meant  to  be 
used  as  a  sort  of  funnel  to  pour  out  the  liquid  into 
smaller  vessels  without  spilling  it. 

Whether  these  articles  had  been  baked  in  the 
fire  or  sun-dried  it  was  found  difficult  to  ascertain ; 
as  also  it  was  to  determine  whether  they  were 
fashioned  by  the  hand  or  upon  a  potter's  wheel. 
The  making  of  vessels  out  of  clay  by  the  hand  is 
one  of  the  very  first  steps  taken  by  all  savages  in 
their  attempts  at  art.  Learning  to  indurate  them, 
by  baking  them  in  the  fire,  is  the  second  :  tep ;  and 
making  a  wheel  to  fashion  them  upon,  by  putting 
the  mass  of  clay  in  revolution  in  order  to  facili 
tate  giving  it  a  true  circular  form,  is  a  third  step, 
and  one  much  in  advance  of  the  other  two. 

The  remains  of  a  potter's  wheel,  with  a  mass  of 


THE    INDIAN   KACES.  153 

clay  upon  it  partly  fashioned  into  a  vessel,  was 
found  some  years  since  in  a  mound  in  Georgia,  and 
this  at  first  seemed  to  afford  positive  proof  that  the 
Indians  understood  the  art  of  shaping  their  pottery 
by  means  of  a  revolution  of  the  clay.  It  was, 
however,  afterward  thought  not  impossible  that 
this  wheel  might  have  been  introduced  by  the 
Spaniards,  who  very  early  made  incursions  into 
that  part  of  the  country  and  attempted  to  found 
settlements  there.  Indeed,  the  Spaniards  were  so 
early  in  their  visits  to  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  and  the  French  to  those  of  the  great  lakes, 
that  considerable  care  is  necessary  to  avoid  attrib 
uting  to  the  aboriginal  Indians  relics  and  indica 
tions  which  were  really  left  by  their  European 
visitors. 

UNQUESTIONABLE   ANTIQUITY   OP  MANY  OF  THE  MOUNDS. 

Although  many  of  the  mounds  now  found  may 
be  of  comparatively  modern  date,  there  are  some 
which,  like  those  on  the  Ohio  and  the  other  west 
ern  rivers,  bear  incontestable  evidence  of  great  an 
tiquity  in  the  immense  trees  that  are  found  grow 
ing  upon  them.  There  are  live-oaks  standing 
upon  some  of  these  tumuli  of  such  size  that  they 
are  estimated  to  be  six  or  seven  hundred  years  old. 

This  would  carry  back  the  date  of  the  mound  to  a 

7* 


154  THE    INDIAN   RACES. 

period  two  or  three  centuries  anterior  to  the  time 
of  Columbus. 

In  many  instances,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
mounds  are  situated  in  open  plains,  or  are  covered 
with  thickets  consisting  of  plants  and  trees  of  mod 
erate  age.  In  such  cases  as  these  it  is  difficult  to 
determine  the  question  of  the  antiquity  of  the 
mound,  except  so  far  as  a  reasonable  judgment 
may  be  formed  from  the  character  and  appearance 
of  the  objects  found  within  it. 

CONCLUSION. 

On  the  whole,  there  is  abundant  evidence  in 
these  ancient  remains  that  this  continent  has  been 
inhabited  by  the  ancestors  of  the  present  Indian 
races  for  a  very  long  period.  It  is,  moreover, 
generally  supposed  that  in  former  times  the  popu 
lation  was  far  more  numerous,  and  that  the  nations 
composing  it  were  far  more  advanced  in  civilization 
than  those  found  in  possession  of  the  country  when 
the  Europeans  first  visited  these  shores. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

T  HE     INDIAN     FAMILY 
THE     INSTITUTION     OF     MARRIAGE. 

THE  Indians,  as  all  other  communities  of  human 
beings  in  every  age,  in  every  clime,  and  in  every 
possible  condition  in  respect  to  civilization  or  bar 
barism,  have  done,  lived  in  families — the  husband, 
the  wife,  and  the  children  forming  a  natural  group 
and  dwelling  together  in  common,  the  children  re 
maining  under  the  care  of  the  parents  until  old 
enough  to  take  care  of  themselves ;  and  the  hus 
band  and  wife,  once  joined,  remaining  united  for  life. 

Some  persons  have  imagined  that  the  institution 
of  marriage  is  an  artificial  institution,  adopted  by 
society  as  an  arrangement  proved  by  experiment  to 
be,  on  the  whole,  most  advantageous  to  man.  But 
the  universality  of  this  institution  proves  that  it  is 
of  higher  origin.  It  is  a  part  of  man's  nature, 
considered  as  an  animal,  that  he  should  have  one 
female  partner,  and  that  the  union  which  binds 
him  to  this  partner,  when  once  she  is  chosen; 
should  endure  for  life. 


156  THE    INDIAN    FAMILY. 

It  is  curious  to  observe  that  the  provision  of 
nature  by  which  man  is  led  everywhere,  and  under 
all  circumstances,  to  the  institution  of  marriage  as 
the  foundation  of  the  social  state,  is  in  accordance 
with  a  general  principle  which  pervades  the  whole 
animal  creation.  The  principal  is  this  : 

GENERAL   LAW   OF   PAIRING. 

In  all  cases  where  the  nurture  of  the  young  of 
any  animal,  for  any  reason,  requires  more  than 
the  mother  herself  alone  can  do  for  them,  it  seems 
to  be  a  general  law  of  nature  in  respect  to  such 
animals  that  they  are  provided  with  instincts  which 
lead  them  to  pair.  A  male  and  female  unite,  and 
they  remain  united  until  the  young  no  longer  need 
their  joint  assistance. 

Thus  birds  pair,  because  it  is  necessary  that 
both  should  co-operate  to  build  the  nest,  and  also 
that  the  father  should  bring  food  while  the  mother 
sits  upon  the  eggs  to  hatch  them.  And  lions  pair, 
for  one  must  remain  and  take  care  of  the  young, 
while  the  other  goes  away  on  distant  excursions  to 
procure  food. 

But  sheep  and  other  such  animals  do  not  pair, 
for  their  young  do  not  require  the  joint  attention 
of  father  and  mother. 

In  respect  to  the  duration  of  the  union  thus 


THE    INDIAN    FAMILY.  157 

formed,  the  principle  is  that  it  continues  as  long  as 
the  necessity  for  it  continues;  that  is,  as  long  as 
the  brood  of  young  ones  require  the  united  efforts 
of  both  father  and  mother  to  protect  them.  Then 
— at  least  so  it  is  supposed  in  the  case  of  birds — 
when  the  season  is  over  and  the  young  ones  are 
grown  up  to  maturity,  the  union  is  terminated,  the 
pair  separate,  and  each,  at  the  commencement  of  a 
new  season,  chooses  a  mate  again. 

APPLICATION   TO   THE    CASE    OF   MAN. 

Now,  in  the  case  of  man,  the  young  require  the 
aid  of  both  parents  for  their  nurture  and  protec 
tion  ;  and  inasmuch  as  each  requires  this  attention 
for  ten  or  twelve  years  at  least,  and  as  during  the 
the  time  while  the  first-born  is  attaining  this  age 
others  succeed,  the  period  during  which  the  con 
joint  efforts  of  the  parents  are  required  is  pro 
tracted,  without  intermission,  during  the  whole  of 
their  lives — that  is,  through  all  the  portion  of  it 
during  which  their  natural  vigor  continues  unim 
paired.  It  follows  from  this,  and  from  the  fact 
that  the  numbers  of  the  sexes  are  equal,  that 
according  to  the  analogy  of  nature  we  should  have 
expected  that  the  human  species  would  be  provided 
with  instincts  leading  them  to  unite  in  pairs,  and 
to  continue  so  united  for  life. 


158  THE   INDIAN    FAMILY. 

We  find,  accordingly,  that  this  is  the  fact 
everywhere.  The  marriage  laws  of  all  human 
societies  are  consequently  made  to  guard  and  pro 
tect  the  marriage  institution — not  to  establish  it 
The  institution  itself  is  founded  in  instincts  and 
principles  of  our  nature  existing  antecedent  to  all 
law. 

Indeed,  the  family  institution,  instead  of  waiting 
to  be  established  by  law,  is  often  even  more  im 
portant  and  more  prominent  in  low  states  of  civili 
zation  than  in  high.  It  is  most  powerful  where 
laws  are  weakest.  Instead  of  being  created  by  law 
and  thus  following  it  in  the  order  of  time,  it  is 
itself  rather  the  origin  and  source  of  law.  So  far 
as  we  have  any  opportunity  to  trace  back  the 
forms  of  social  organization  to  their  source,  we  find 
them  arising  usually,  in  the  first  instance,  from 
that  primordial  and  elementary  bond,  the  union  of 
husband  with  wife,  which  springs  at  once  from  the 
physical  constitution  and  innate  instincts  of  man, 
and  is  the  germ  from  which  all  other  systems  of 
authority  and  subordination  come. 

It  was  eminently  so  among  the  Indians.  They 
lived  in  families  throughout  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  land — the  families  of  the  same  connection 
being  grouped  together  in  tribes.  They  lived 
generally  in  peace,  and  were  engaged  in  labors  of 


THE    INDIAN    FAMILY.  159 

patient  industry  for   providing  food  and  clothing 
for  themselves  and  their  children. 

CONSTRUCTION  OF  DWELLINGS. 

The  dwellings  of  the  Indians  were  generally 
made  of  poles  covered  with  bark  or  mats.  The 
ends  of  the  poles  were  set  in  the  ground  in  a  ring 
of  holes  made  to  receive  them,  and  then  the  tops 
were  tied  together  in  a  point  above,  so  as  to  give 
the  hut  a  conical  form.  Sometimes,  however,  the 
ring  was  made  larger,  and  then  the  ends  of  the 
poles  were  lapped  upon  each  other,  each  opposite 
pair  being  joined  in  this  way.  By  this  mode  of 
fashioning  the  frame  the  hut  would  receive  a  hem 
ispherical  form — that  is,  the  form  of  a  dome — a 
structure  much  less  convenient  than  the  other. 

In  other  cases  the  poles  would  be  set  in  two 
long  rows  of  holes,  made  at  a  suitable  distance 
from  each  other,  and  each  opposite  pair  would  then 
be  lapped  together  and  tied.  Poles  were  then  laid 
lengthwise  along  the  roof  thus  formed  and  tied  at 
the  crossings.  These  lengthwise  poles  acted  as 
stays  to  give  strength  and  stiffness  to  the  frame. 
When  the  frame  was  thus  completed  it  was  covered 
with  mats  or  bark.  Of  course,  a  hut  made  in  this 
way  would  be  of  a  semi-cylindrical  form,  like  a 
long  arbor  built  over  a  walk  in  a  garden.  Some 


160  THE    INDIAN   FAMILY. 

lodges  made  in  this  way  were  intended  to  accom 
modate  many  families,  and  were  very  large. 

COVERINGS. 

The  bark  used  for  the  covering  of  the  huts  and 
lodges  was  commonly  birch  bark,  a  kind  which 
peels  off  the  tree  in  large  thin  sheets,  and  is  of  a 
substance,  too,  which  is  completely  impervious  to 
water.  These  sheets  of  bark  could  be  rolled  up  in 
a  very  compact  form,  as  matting  or  carpeting  is 
rolled  with  us. 

These  strips  peel  off  in  a  direction  round  the 
tree,  and  of  course  cannot  be  longer  than  the  cir 
cumference  of  the  tree  from  which  they  are  taken. 
But  a  tree  of  two  feet  and  a  half  in  diameter,  not 
an  unusual  size  in  the  native  forests  of  the  country, 
would  yield  strips  seven  and  eight  feet  long,  which 
would  be  amply  sufficient  for  the  purpose  intended, 
They  were  usually  taken  off  the  tree  in  pieces 
from  two  to  three  feet  wide. 

In  putting  on  these  sheets  the  upper  end  was 
fastened  to  the  upper  part  of  the  frame — leaving  a 
space  open  for  chimney — and  the  lower  end  came 
down  to  the  ground.  A  round  stick  was  rolled  a 
little  way  into  this  lower  end  and  sewed  in.  This 
stick  helped  to  strengthen  the  end,  and  also  as 
sisted  in  holding  it  in  its  place.  A  stone  was 


THE    INDIAN    FAMILY.  161 

laid  upon  it  when  necessary,  to  keep  it  down. 
It  also  served  as  a  roller  to  roll  the  sheet  upon 
when  the  family  removed ;  for  these  sheets  of  bark, 
once  prepared,  were  considered  quite  valuable,  and 
they  were  always  taken  away  in  cases  of  removal, 
though  the  poles  which  formed  the  frame  were 
often  left  behind. 

In    some    cases    tribes    living    in    the    western 

O 

country,  on  the  banks  of  the  Upper  Missouri, 
where  perhaps  birch  bark  could  not  be  obtained, 
covered  the  frames  of  their  wigwams  with  flat 
stones  set  up  against  the  poles,  in  such  a  way  that 
they  leaned  in  some  measure  upon  them.  These 
stones  were  arranged  around  the  frame,  tier  above 
tier,  each  tier  resting  upon  the  edges  of  the  tier  be 
low,  and  leaning  against  the  frame.  The  joints 
were  plastered  with  a  mortar  made  of  clay. 

Of  course,  for  such  a  covering  as  this  it  was 
necessary  to  make  the  frame  very  much  stronger 
than  when  a  lighter  one  was  to  be  used. 

INTERIOR   OF   THE   LODGES. 

The  large  lodges  often  contained  several  families, 
each  of  wrhom  occupied  its  own  particular  portion 
of  the  interior.  In  such  cases  the  different  tenants 
were  very  careful  not  to  encroach  upon  each 
other's  domains.  There  was  a  fire  in  the  middle 


162  THE   INDIAN    FAMILY. 

of  the  lodge,  and  mats  and  skins  for  the  members 
of  the  different  families  were  laid  down  upon  the 
ground  in  diiferent  situations  around  it.  The 
sleeping  places  were  back  under  the  roof,  the  beds 
being  also  made  of  mats  and  skins. 

When  there  were  babies,  beds  were  made  for 
them  of  the  finest  moss,  with  a  skin  spread  over  it 
that  was  covered  with  some  soft  fur. 

It  was  the  pride  of  the  mistress  of  this  strange 
household  to  keep  everything  in  good  order  in  her 
domain.  She  maintained  a  bright  and  cheerful 
fire  in  the  fire-place  when  the  weather  was  cold, 
and  kept  the  ground  nicely  swept  and  clean  all 
around  it.  Then  when  all  was  arranged  she  would 
take  her  place  upon  her  own  mat  or  skin,  and  em 
ploy  herself  in  sewing  a  roller  into  a  new  sheet  of 
bark,  or  in  making  mats,  or  mocassins,  or  snow- 
shoes,  while  her  husband,  in  his  place  near  by,  was 
employed  in  fashioning  spears  or  arrows,  or  in 
making  other  hunting  or  fishing  gear,  and  the 
children  sat  musing  silently  by  the  fire,  or  tumbled 
over  each  other  in  their  play,  upon  a  bear-skin  in 
the  corner. 

INDIAN   HOUSEKEEPING. 

Among  the  Indians  the  whole  charge  of  the 
housekeeping  devolved  upon  the  women,  as  with 


THE    INDIAN    FAMILY.  163 

us,  but  in  their  understanding  of  this  term  much 
more  was  included  than  in  ours.  It  comprised 
building  the  house  as  well  as  taking  care  of  it, 
and  also  the  making  of  all  the  furniture.  It  was 
the  work  of  the  women  to  cut  the  poles  and  set 
them  in  the  ground,  to  have  always  on  hand  a  good 
supply  of  bark  to  cover  the  frame,  and  to  take  the 
work  apart  and  put  it  together  again,  in  case  of 
removal.  They  had  also  to  cultivate  the  corn  fields, 
store  the  grain  when  it  was  collected,  and  prepare 
the  food. 

It  was  the  business  of  the  man  to  hunt  and  fish 
alone  in  time  of  peace,  and  to  fight  for  the  pro 
tection  of  his  territory,  and  of  his  wife  and  chil 
dren,  in  case  of  war. 

REMOVALS. 

Although  each  tribe  continued  in  most  cases  to 
occupy  the  same  territory  from  generation  to  gene 
ration,  still  removals  from  place  to  place  within  the 
territory  were  very  common.  The  best  places  for 
cultivating  corn,  and  for  fishing  in  the  summer 
season,  were  not  usually  the  best  for  hunting  and 
trapping  the  wild  animals  of  the  woods  in  the  win 
ter.  Accordingly  there  were  frequent  occasions  to 
remove  a  family  or  a  settlement  from  place  to 
place  •  and  in  order  to  facilitate  these  migrations 


164  THE   INDIAN  FAMILY. 

the  wigwams  were  almost  always  built  on  the 
borders  of  streams,  so  that  the  sheets  of  bark  for 
roofs,  the  mats,  the  skins,  the  cooking  utensils, 
and  the  other  household  goods,  might  be  conveyed 
to  the  new  locality  by  water  in  canoes. 

CANOES. 

These  canoes  themselves  were  made  of  birch 
bark.  There  was  first  a  frame  made  of  strips  of 
wood  of  about  the  size  and  thickness  of  a  common 
kitchen-basket  handle,  and  then  the  whole  was 
covered  with  sheets  of  bark,  very  neatly  and 
strongly  sewed.  The  thread  for  such  sewing  was 
made  of  the  fibers  of  certain  kinds  of  bark  twisted 
into  filaments  by  rubbing  them  with  a  rolling  mo 
tion  on  the  knee,  or  of  thongs  cut  from  the  hides 
of  animals.  It  was  wonderful  to  see  with  what 
skill  the  Indian  women  would  execute  this  sewing, 
so  as  to  make  a  firm,  compact  and  substantial  seam, 
and  without  leaving  any  perceptible  openings  at 
the  stitches.  The  boat  would  be  almost  water 
tight  when  it  was  first  put  together,  and  it  was 
soon  made  perfectly  so  by  paying  over  the  seams 
with  pitch  obtained  from  some  species  of  the  pine, 
or  other  resin-bearing  tree. 

The  upper    edge    of  the    boat    all   around   was 
strengthened    by  double    strips  of  wood  inclosing 


THE    INDIAN    FAMILY.  165 

the  edges  of  the  sheets  of  .bark,  the  whole  being 
bound  together  by  sewing  of  a  specially  substantial 
character.  This  formed  the  gunwale  of  the  boat. 
It  was  in  some  respects  like  the  upper  edge  of  a 
strong  basket,  which  is  usually  reinforced  in  a 
similar  way.  The  boat  itself  was  in  reality  an 
open-work  basket,  sheathed  on  the  outside  with 
sheets  of  birch  bark. 

Canoes  thus  made,  though  light  and  buoyant, 
were  quite  frail.  It  was  necessary  to  step  very 
lightly  in  getting  into  one  of  them,  for  fear  of 
breaking  through  the  bottom,  and  to  sit  very 
still  when  in,  for  fear  of  rolling  it  over,  for  the 
bottom  was  perfectly  roun  1  and  smooth. 


LOG   CANOES. 


In  some  parts  of  the  country,  where  birch  bark 
could  not  be  procured  for  sheathing,  it  was  custom' 
ary  to  make  boats  of  logs. 

It  would  at  first  seem  difficult  to  imagine  how  a 
party  of  savages,  without  any  cutting  tools,  could 
take  down  a  large  tree,  hollow  it  out,  and  fashion 
it  into  a  canoe.  They  accomplished  the  work  by 
the  agency  of  fire.  In  the  first  place,  after  select 
ing  a  suitable  tree  for  the  purpose,  they  would 
build  a  fire  around  its  roots,  and  by  constantly 
bringing  more  wood  they  would  keep  the  fire  up 


166  THE   INDIAN   FAMILY. 

for  many  days,  until  at  last  the  tree  was  burned 
so  nearly  off  that  by  pushing  all  together  against  it 
on  one  side,  by  means  of  poles,  or  pulling  with  a 
cord,  they  would  cause  it  to  lean  a  little  out  of  the 
perpendicular,  and  then  its  own  weight  would 
bring  it  with  a  great  crash  to  the  ground. 

This  was  the  first  stage  of  the  process.  The 
next  was  to  burn  off  the  stem  of  the  tree  at  the 
right  length  for  the  proposed  canoe.  In  burning 
it  off  thus  the  workmen  took  care  to  manage  the 
fire  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  to  the  end  the  proper 
shape,  and  at  the  same  time  that  this  process  was 
going  on  the  fire  was  continued  at  the  other  end, 
in  order  to  burn  off  the  splinters  and  superfluous 
wood,  and  to  give  that  end,  too,  the  proper  form 
for  the  bow  or  stern  of  the  canoe,  which  ever  it  was  to 
be.  To  do  this  well  of  course  required  considerable 
experience  and  skill  on  the  part  of  the  workmen. 

At  the  same  time  fires  were  built  along  the 
whole  length  of  the  log  upon  the  top,  in  order  to 
burn  off  the  convex  portion,  and  then  small  fires 
were  continued  along  the  center  line  until  the 
whole  interior  of  the  log  was  burned  out.  It  was 
easy,  by  means  of  water,  to  confine  the  fire  within 
precise  limits,  so  as  at  last  to  have  a  well-shaped 
canoe,  with  sides  and  bottom  far  thinner  and 
lighter,  and  with  a  general  form  much  more 


THE    INDIAN    FAMILY.  167 

graceful  and  convenient  than  it  would  be  supposed 
possible  to  produce  in  such  a  way. 

When  the  burning  was  completed  the  whole  sur 
face  of  the  boat,  inside  and  out,  was  scraped 
smooth  by  means  of  tools  made  of  flint,  and  of 
other  hard  stones  of  that  kind  which  could  be 
broken  so  as  to  furnish  a  sharp  edge.  The  scrap 
ing  of  the  surface  of  the  wood  with  tools  of  this 
sort  was,  of  course,  a  very  slow  and  laborious  pro 
cess,  but  when  completed  the  result  was  to  produce 
a  very  smooth  and  regular  finish.  The  boat  was 
then  painted.  The  pigments  for  this  purpose  were 
obtained  from  various  substances  found  in  the 
ground,  such  as  ochres  and  other  similar  earths,  and 
they  were  mixed  with  oils  obtained  from  animals. 

The  final  result  was,  in  many  cases,  a  canoe 
of  very  large  size  and  of  quite  an  elegant  ap~ 
pearance. 

Of  course,  a  canoe  like  this  is  only  produced 
after  considerable  progress  has  been  made  by  a 
tribe  in  the  mechanical  arts.  At  first,  it  is  said, 
the  Indians  used  the  trunks  of  trees  which  they 
found  already  hollowed  by  decay,  in  places  where 
they  grew.  To  prevent  the  water  coming  in  at 
the  ends  in  such  a  case,  they  used  to  stop  them 
with  masses  of  clay,  which  they  kneaded  in  at  the 
bow  and  stern. 


168  THE   INDIAN   FAMILY. 


CLEARING  LAND. 

The  Indians  had  many  clearings  when  the 
Europeans  first  came  into  the  country.  These 
clearings  were  made  for  the  purpose  of  raising 
corn,  and  they  were  considered  of  great  value — 
each  one  remaining  in  the  same  family  or  tribe 
from  generation  to  generation,  for  ages.  It  was 
very  difficult  to  make  these  clearings,  since  the 
only  way  of  felling  trees  was  by  fire.  Then  be 
sides,  when  the  tree  was  down  the  work  of  getting 
out  the  roots  was  one  of  great  labor.  Thus  abso 
lutely  new  clearings  were  seldom  made.  The  old 
ones  remained,  and  each  generation  enlarged  them 
a  little  when  any  increase  of  population  required 
an  enlargement,  by  burning  down  trees  along  the 
margin  of  them.  The  method  was  to  dig  about 
the  tree  so  as  to  expose  the  roots  as  much  as  pos 
sible,  and  then  to  build  a  fire  around  it  so  as  to 
burn  it  off.  But  this  was  a  very  slow  and  toil 
some  work,  for  if  it  was  a  living  tree  the  wood  was 
green,  and  after  the  outside  had  burned  away  it 
was  difficult  to  get  the  fire  in,  so  as  to  make  it 
take  effect  up  the  heart  of  the  stem.  To  promote 
the  burning  as  much  as  possible  they  used  to  pick 
off  the  charred  portion  as  fast  as  the  fire  formed  it, 
with  sharp  stones  fastened  to  the  ends  of  poles. 


THE    INDIAN    FAMILY. 


169 


In  this  way,  and  by  constantly  bringing  fresh  sup 
plies  of  fuel,  the  tree  was  at  length  made  to  fall. 


Then  to  take  off  the  branches  and  to  divide  the 
stem  into  lengths  small  enough  to  enable  them  to 
drag  them  away — all  by  the  action  of  fire  alone — 
required  great  additional  toil.  It  is  not  surpris 
ing,  under  these  circumstances,  that  the  work  of 
clearing  land  proceeded  slowly. 


170  THE    INDIAN   FAMILY. 


TI.  :>1NG   THE    LAND. 

The  work  of  tilling  the  land  after  it  was 
cleared  belonged  wholly  to  the  women.  The  men 
reserved  their  strength  for  the  immensely  more 
difficult  and  dangerous  duty  of  hunting  and  fish 
ing,  and  of  defending  the  country  in  case  of  war. 

In  planting  their  fields  the  women  used  clam 
shells  for  hoes,  and  sticks  sharpened  in  the  fire 
for  picks  and  shovels.  When  the  crop  was  ripe 
the  corn  was  gathered,  and  it  was  stored  for  winter 
in  holes  made  in  the  ground  for  the  purpose. 
The  bottom  and  sides  of  the  holes  were  protected 
by  a  lining  of  bark,  or  of  wooden  poles  set  up  close 
together  all  around  them.  When  the  hole  was 
filled  it  was  covered  over,  arid  not  opened  again 
until  the  corn  was  required  for  use. 

PREPARING  THE  CORN  FOR  FOOD. 

Instead  of  mills  to  grind  the  corn  the  Indian 
women  used  mortars  to  pound  it.  These  mortars 
were  stones  with  hollows  in  them.  For  the  pestle 
another  stone  with  a  smooth  and  round  surface  at 
the  bottom  was  used.  At  first  such  stones  were 
employed  for  these  purposes  as  were  found  of 
nearly  the  proper  form  in  their  natural  state ;  but 
in  process  of  time  the  people  acquired  the  art  of 


THE    INDIAN    FAMILY.  1J1 

fashioning  them  so  as  to  make  mortars  of  very 
good  shape,  and  of  considerable  capacity.  Many 
such  mortars,  with  pestles  belonging  t<f  them, 
have  been  dug  up  in  ancient  mounds,  or  found 
buried  just  beneath  the  surface  around  old  and 
abandoned  encampments  in  the  western  country. 

The  women  sometimes  made  cakes  of  their  corn 
and  baked  them  in  the  ashes,  but,  more  commonly, 
they  made  a  sort  of  porridge  of  it,  or  rather  soup, 
for  they  usually  put  in  a  part  of  some  animal, 
which  the  husband  had  brought  home  from  the 
chase,  to  enrich  and  flavor  it.  The  pounded  corn 
and  the  piece  of  meat  were  boiled  in  the  same  vessel 
until  they  were  sufficiently  cooked,  and  then  the 
whole  was  eaten  together. 


MODE   OF  BOILIXG. 


The  mode  of  boiling  this  mess  was  singular 
enough.  They  had  no  vessels  which  would  bear 
to  be  exposed  directly  to  the  action  of  fire.  They 
could  fashion  copper  into  some  very  ingenious 
forms  by  beating  it  with  smooth  stones  and  grind 
ing  it  upon  rough  ones,  but  they  could  not  make 
anything  like  a  vessel  of  it.  Nor  could  they  make 
any  pottery  that  would  hold  water  and  stand  the 
fire.  But,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  they  could 
fashion  a  vessel  of  osiers,  coiling  them  round  and 


172  THE    INDIAN    FAMILY. 

round  in  a  spiral  manner,  and  sewing  each  coil  to 
the  one  below  it,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  the 
work  water-tight  or  nearly  so.  Any  small  amount 
of  leakage  was  probably  not  of  much  consequence. 
The  way  in  which  they  boiled  their  soup  in 
these  vessels — it  is  obvious  that  it  would  not  an 
swer  to  put  one  over  the  fire — was  very  curious. 
It  was  by  setting  the  vessel  on  the  ground  by  the 
side  of  the  fire  and  putting  red-hot  stones  into  it. 
A  single  red-hot  stone  would  keep  the  contents 
boiling  longer  than  one  would  suppose,  and  when 
one  became  cool  another  was  put  in  to  take  its 
place.  Of  course,  a  great  deal  of  soot  and  ashes 
went  in  with  the  stone,  and  white  men  who,  in 
traveling  among  the  Indians,  have  been  invited  to 
partake  of  a  meal  so  prepared,  have  not  represent 
ed  the  soup  as  exhibiting  a  very  attractive  appear 
ance  when  it  was  ready  to  be  served. 

VARIED   OCCUPATIONS   OF   THE   WOMEN. 

From  what  has  been  said  it  will  be  seen  that  all 
the  duties  of  every  kind  relating  to  the  home  of  the 
family  and  its  surroundings  devolved  upon  the 
woman  —  it  being  her  province  to  relieve  her  hus 
band  of  every  care  except  that  of  hunting,  of  fish 
ing,  and  of  war.  When  he  brought  home  the  ani 
mal  that  he  had  killed  it  was  her  province  to  take 


THE   INDIAN    FAMILY.  173 

care  both  of  the  skin  and  of  the  flesh.  The  skin 
she  stretched  upon  a  frame  and  scraped  the  flesh- 
ward  side  of  it  with  a  sharp  stone,  so  as  thoroughly 
to  cleanse  it,  and  then  made  various  applications  to 
it  and  subjected  it  to  a  particular  course  of  treat 
ment,  which  took  with  them  the  place  of  tanning. 
The  effect  was  to  make  it  soft  and  pliant  and  to 
preserve  it  from  future  decay. 

The  flesh,  in  summer,  they  preserved  by 
smoking  it.  They  would  dig  a  hole  in  the  ground 
and  make  a  fire  in  it.  The  fire,  being  at  the 
bottom  of  the  hole,  would,  of  course,  not  burn 
freely,  but  would  only  smoulder  away  and  make  a 
grc;it  deal  of  smoke.  Over  and  around  this  hole 
they  would  hang  the  pieces  of  meat,  and  then 
build  a  sort  of  inclosurc,  with  mats,  around  them, 
in  order  to  confine  the  smoke.  The  mats  formed, 
in  fact,  a  species  of  funnel  through  which  all  the 
smoke  must  pass  as  it  ascended  into  the  air. 

The  holes  for  these  fires  they  dug  with  their 
sharpened  sticks  and  clam-shell  hoes. 

MOCCASINS. 

It  was  the  duty  of  the  women  to  make  clothing 
from  the  skins  after  they  were  cured.  The 
clothing  consisted  of  moccasins  for  the  feet,  tight 
leggins  for  the  legs,  and  a  sort  of  a  double  apron, 


174  THE   INDIAN   FAMILY. 

with  one  flap  behind  and  another  before,  which  was 
worn  both  by  the  woaien  and  the  men.  There  was 
also  a  looser  garment  for  the  shoulders  when  the 
weather  required  it. 

All  these  garments  were  made  with  great  care, 
and  often  a  vast  deal  of  labor  was  bestowed  upon 
them.  They  were  adorned  with  fringes  made  of 
hair  dyed  of  various  colors,  and  with  feathers  of 
eagles  and  of  other  great  birds,  and  porcupine 
quills,  and  with  embroidery  worked  in  different 
colored  threads. 

The  moccasins  were  made  of  one  piece  of  skin, 
the  center  of  the  piece  forming  tiie  sole,  and  the 
sides  being  drawn  up  and  gathered  over  the  foot 
above.  Some  of  them  were  finished  in  a  very 
ornamental  manner.  The  fashion  of  them  was 
very  different  according  to  the  purpose  for  which 
they  were  intended.  Those  made  for  men,  which 
were,  of  course,  destined  to  endure  the  wear  and 
tear  of  long  tramps  through  the  woods  on  hunting 
expeditions  or  military  campaigns,  were  made  of 
very  stout  leather,  and  sometimes  two  or  three 
additional  thicknesses  were  put  upon  the  soles. 

Those  of  the  women,  which  were,  of  course,  to 
be  subjected  to  much  gentler  usage,  were  made 
lighter  and  of  less  substantial  material ;  and  there 
was  a  kind  intended  to  be  worn  by  young  women 


THE    INDIAN   FAMILY.  175 

on  the  occasion  of  their  marriage,  for  which  a  skin 
was  prepared  by  a  long  and  careful  process  that 
made  it  almost  as  soft  as  kid.  These  bridal  moc 
casins  were  cut  in  a  peculiar  fashion,  and  they 
were  embroidered  with  hair  of  different  colors,  and 
gaudily  ornamented  in  other  ways. 

EXCURSIONS  OF   THE   WOMEN. 

As  everything  connected  with  the  management 
of  the  household  devolved  upon  the  woman,  it 
became  her  duty  from  time  to  time  to  make  excur 
sions  along  the  streams  or  in  the  woods  to  procure 
birch  bark  to  make  new  rolls,  or  bullrushcs  for 
mats  or  other  such  things.  Accordingly,  some 
times,  when  the  man  had  gone  away  before  sun 
rise,  or  perhaps  evgn  before  the  dawn,  on  some 
distant  hunting  or  fishing  excursion,  the  woman, 
after  breakfast,  would  prepare  for  an  expedition  of 
her  own.  In  some  cases  she  would  take  the  chil 
dren,  and  at  others  she  would  leave  them  at  home 
under  the  care  of  an  older  brother  or  sister.  The 
number  of  children  was,  however,  seldom  large 
enough  to  make  this  last  arrangement  desirable,  as 
the  Indian  families  were  almost  always  small.  It 
has  been  ascertained  that  the  average  number  of 
children  was  only  two. 

The  mother  then  would  usually  take  her  little 


176  THE    INDIAN    FAMILY. 

ones  with  her  and  would  embark  in  her  canoe. 
The  baby,  if  there  was  one,  would  be  tied  to  a 
board  and  lashed  to  her  back ;  or  by  means  of 
being  thus  secured  to  a  board  it  could  be  laid 
down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  or  placed  in  an 
inclined  position  against  one  of  the  thwarts.  It 
seldom  or  never  cried.  There  were  two  reasons 
for  this  extraordinary  quietness — first,  the  ex 
tremely  imperturbable  and  unexcitable  character 
of  the  Indian  temperament,  and  in  the  second 
place,  the  fact  that  the  poor  child  found  by  experi 
ence  that  he  never  gained  anything  by  crying. 

Having  taken  her  place  in  her  boat  the  Indian 
woman  would  paddle  her  way  up  or  clown  the 
stream,  or  along  the  shores  of  a  pond,  into  retired 
coves  or  inlets  where  the  rushes  grew,  and  would 
gather  the  supply  that  she  required ;  and  then 
toward  evening  would  paddle  home  again,  so  as  to 
be  ready  to  receive  her  husband  on  his  return. 

Sometimes  the  object  of  these  excursions  was  to 
collect  and  bring  home  fuel  for  the  fire.  In  these 
cases,  in  order  to  prevent  the  sticks  of  wo  d  from 
injuring  the  canoe,  she  would  first  lay  poles  along 
the  bottom  of  it  to  protect  the  framework  and  the 
bark  covering.  For  cutting  these  poles  the  In 
dians  had  stone  hatchets,  with  handles  formed  of 
withes  bound  round  the  head,  like  the  handles  of 


THE    INDIAN    FAMILY.  177 

the  hammers  already  described.  Small  saplings 
could  be  cut  off  pretty  easily  with  these  tools,  by 
first  bending  them  over  in  such  a  way  as  to  bring 
the  fibres  of  the  wood  near  the  ground  into  a  state 
of  high  tension,  when  an  inconsiderable  blow,  even 
with  a  dull  instrument,  would  cause  the  stem  to 
snap  off  at  once. 

The  fuel  itself  consisted  of  such  dried  fragments 
of  wood  as  could  be  found  already  lying  in  pieces 
of  a  convenient  size  to  be  removed,  or  else  so  far 
decayed  that  they  could  be  easily  broken  into  such 
pieces. 

EDUCATION    OF   THE   CHILDREN'. 

The  children  of  these  families  received  no  edu 
cation  at  all  until  they  came  to  be  old  enough  to 
learn  to  set  little  traps  in  the  woods  for  small 
game,  or  if  girls,  to  begin  to  help  their  mothers  to 
make  mats  or  leggins  or  mocassins.  Sometimes 
they  were  stationed  in  the  corn-field  while  the  corn 
was  coming  up,  in  order  to  drive  away  the  crows 
and  other  such  plunderers  with  sticks  and  stones. 
The  boys  would  usually  take  to  the  woods  as  soon 
as  they  were  old  enough  to  find  their  way  among 
the  trees.  Their  fathers  would  make  bows  and 
arrows  for  them  adapted  to  their  strength,  and 
show  them  how  to  set  traps  for  squirrels,  rabbits, 

8* 


178  THE   INDIAN   FAMILY. 

foxes,  and  other  similar  game,  and  great  was  their 
exultation  and  joy  when  they  found  anything  taken 
in  them. 

There  is  an  account  of  a  small  boy  who  set  a 
trap  in  the  woods,  and  his  uncle,  who  was  visiting 
at  the  wigwam  where  the  boy  lived,  went  out 
secretly  and  put  a  rabbit  in  it  which  he  had  caught 
himself  in  another  place.  So  when  the  boy  went 
to  his  trap  he  found  to  his  great  pride  and  joy 
that  there  was  a  rabbit  there.  It  was  the  first 
that  he  had  ever  caught.  He  brought  it  home  in 
triumph  and  gave  it  to  his  mother,  and  she  made 
a  soup  of  it,  and  the  family,  with  their  guest,  ate 
the  soup  together,  leaving  the  boy  to  think  all  the 
time  that  it  was  really  the  fruit  of  his  hunting 
that  furnished  the  meal. 

STORIES   FOR    CHILDREN. 

The  mothers  were  accustomed  to  talk  very  little 
with  their  children.  Indeed,  the  Indians  were 
extremely  taciturn  on  all  occasions.  They,  how 
ever,  sometimes  explained  to  the  children  the  prin 
ciples  of  duty,  and  told  them  stories  to  illustrate 
and  enforce  what  they  taught.  Some  of  these 
stories  are  to  be  found  reduced  to  writing,  among 
other  legends  and  tales  which  travelers  who  have 
visited  Indians  in  their  wigwams,  or  have  lived 


THE    INDIAN   FAMILY.  179 

among  them,  have  recorded.     The  scenes  of  these 

O  ' 

stories  were  laid,  of  course,  always  in  the  woods, 
and  wild  animals  figured  very  conspicuously  in 
them.  Here  is  one  which  will  serve  as  a  speci 
men.  It  was  intended,  we  must  suppose,  to  teach 
older  children  to  be  faithful,  kind  and  true  to  the 
younger  ones. 

THE   CHILD    TTIAT   TURXED    IXTO    A   WOLF. 

Once  there  was  a  man  who  lived  with  his  wife 
in  a  lonely  place  on  the  borders  of  a  lake.  They 
had  two  children  nearly  grown  up.  The  oldest 
was  a  boy.  The  other  was  a  girl.  Besides  these 
there  was  a  third  child,  a  boy,  who  was  very 
young. 

The  mother  was  more  anxious  about  this  little 
child  than  about  either  of  the  others,  for  as  she 
and  her  husband  were  considerably  advanced  in  life, 
she  was  afraid  that  they  might  not  live  long 
enough  to  take  care  of  him  until  he  should  grow 
up  and  be  able  to  take  care  of  himself. 

At  last,  one  day  when  the  father  was  hunting 
in  the  forests  he  was  killed  by  wild  beasts.  The 
mother,  with  the  help  of  her  oldest  boy,  continued 
to  maintain  the  family  for  some  time,  but  at  length 
she  fell  sick  arid  could  do  no  more.  When  she 
found  that  she  was  about  to  die  she  called  her  two 


180  THE    INDIAN   FAMILY. 

oldest  children  to  her  and  charged  them  to  be  kind 
to  their  little  brother  after  she  was  gone,  and  never 
forsake  him.  They  promised  that  they  would 
obey.  Soon  after  this  the  woman  died. 

For  a  time  the  oldest  boy  remained  at  home 
and  took  care  of  his  sister  and  brother.  But  at 
last  he  grew  tired  of  hunting  and  fishing  every 
day  to  procure  food  for  them,  and  so  he  went  away 
und  left  them. 

The  girl  remained  at  home  for  some  time  after 
the  boy  had  gone  away,  but  at  last  she  grew  tired 
of  takin^  care  of  her  little  brother,  and  so  she 

o  > 

went  away  too. 

The  child  was  now  left  all  alone  in  the  wigwam. 

O 

He  staid  there  a  day  or  two  without  anything  to 
eat,  wondering  all  the  time  where  his  brother  and 
sister  had  gone.  At  last,  being  almost  starved, 
he  thought  he  would  go  into  the  woods  and  see  if 
he  could  not  find  what  had  become  of  them. 

He  wandered  about  all  day,  and  at  length 
toward  evening  he  became  so  weak  that  he  could 
go  no  further,  and  he  sank  down  upon  the  ground 
ready  to  die.  But  suddenly  he  observed  near  him 
a  she  wolf  feeding  her  young  ones  with  the  flesh 
of  a  rabbit,  or  some  other  such  animal  which  she 
had  caught.  The  little  boy  crept  toward  her.  and 
the  wolf,  seeing  how  pale  and  exhausted  he  looked, 


THE    INDIAN    FAMILY.  181 

gave  him  some  of  the  meat.  This  food  revived 
aud  strengthened  him  so  that  he  became  quite  like 
himself  again,  and  he  began  to  play  with  the 
little  wolves,  and  tumble  about  with  them  upon  the 
ground. 

After  this  the  old  wolf,  every  day  when  she 
came  home  with  food  for  her  young  ones,  gave  the 
boy  some  of  it  too,  and  he  continued  living  with 
this  wild  family  for  some  time  in  peace  and 
plenty. 

At  length,  one  day  while  he  was  playing  with 
the  young  wolves  upon  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and 
singing  a  song,  his  brother,  who  was  fishing  on  the 
lake  in  his  canoe,  at  some  distance  from  the  shore, 
heard  his  voice,  and  he  at  once  recognized  it  as  that 
of  his  little  brother.  His  conscience  had  often  re 
proached  him  for  having  forsaken  the  child,  and 
he  was  now  overjoyed  to  find  that  he  was  still 
alive.  He  paddled  his  canoe  toward  the  shore, 
and  began  to  call  his  brother  by  name. 

But  from  living  so  long  with  the  wolves,  and 
partaking  the  same  sustenance  with  them,  the 
child's  nature  had  been  gradually  undergoing  a 
change,  and  he  was  growing  like  a  wild  animal. 
In  a  word,  he  was  turning  into  a  wolf  himself;  so 
when  he  saw  his  brother  approach,  and  berrd  his 
voice,  instead  of  coming  down  to  the  shore  to 


182  THE    INDIAN    FAMILY. 

meet  him,  he  gave  a  wild  cry  and  ran  off  into  the 
woods  with  the  young  wolves  that  he  was  with. 
As  he  went  he  sang  a  song,  the  burden  of  which 
was : 

"  I  am  changing  into  a  wolf,  and  I  cannot  come  j 
I  am  changing  into  a  wolf,  and  I  cannot  come." 

His  brother  went  away,  feeling  very  sorrowful 
and  sad.  He  found  his  sister  and  told  her  what 
he  had  seen,  and  during  all  the  rest  of  their  lives 
they  were  both  rendered  very  unhappy  by  the 
remorse  and  anguish  which  they  suffered  at  the 
thought  of  having  abandoned  their  little  brother 
in  his  helplessness,  and  of  having  thus  been  the 
cause  of  his  turning  into  a  wolf. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MECHANIC     ARTS. 

NATIVE   INGENUITY. 

IT  is  surprising  how  much  ingenuity  the  Indians 
displayed  in  contriving  ways  for  accomplishing 
their  various  purposes,  without  any  of  the  means 
or  facilities  which  we  should  have  considered  es 
sential.  They  had  no  iron,  and  could,  of  course, 
have  no  good  cutting  tools.  All  the  tools  and  im 
plements  of  every  kind  which  were  used  by  the 
Indians  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  country  were 
formed  of  stone,  or  wood,  or  bone,  or  something  of 
that  sort,  and  although  working  with  such  tools 
was  an  exceedingly  slow  and  tedious  process,  still 
the  results  that  they  finally  attained  were,  in  some 
cases,  truly  wonderful. 

Some  tribes,  especially  those  that  lived  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  great  lakes,  made  certain  tools 
and  implements  of  copper,  which  metal,  it  is  said, 
they  had  some  means  of  hardening,  so  that  it  would 
cut  wood  tolerably  well.  But  they  had  no  iron. 


184  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

Accordingly,  when  tho  Europeans  first  came  to 
this  country,  one  of  the  things  that  principally- 
struck  the  Indians  was  their  possession  of  knives. 
It  is  said  that  the  name  by  which  the  foreigners 
were  designated  among  some  of  the  tribes  was 
knife  men.  Columbus  found,  too,  when  he  first 
landed  in  the  West  India  Islands,  that  the  natives 
would  barter  almost  anything  in  their  possession 
for  a  needle. 

MANUFACTURE   OF   WEAPONS. 

The  work  upon  which  most  of  the  skill  and 
ingenuity  of  the  Indians  was  displayed  was  the 
manufacture  of  instruments  to  be  used  in  hunting 
and  in  war.  The  bow  and  arrow  was  the  princi 
pal  weapon,  although  they  likewise  used  spears 
and  clubs  of  various  kinds.  Their  spears  and 
arrows  they  tipped  with  heads  formed  of  a  stone 
nearly  as  hard  as  flint,  which  they  could  shape 
very  exactly  by  splitting  off  portions  of  the  mass 
in  a  peculiar  way,  by  a  process  similar  to  that  in 
which  gun-flints  are  fashioned  at  the  present  time. 
These  heads  were  fastened  to  the  shafts  of  the 
spear  or  of  the  arrow  by  means  of  very  slender 
thongs  of  hide  put  on  green.  These,  in  shrink 
ing  as  they  dried,  would  bind  the  stone  to  the 
wood  in  the  firmest  manner  imaginable. 


MECHANIC   ARTS.  185 

Great  numbers  of  these  arrow-heads  and  spear 
heads  have  been  found  in  mounds  and  in  old 
Indian  encampments,  and  are  now  preserved  in 
museums  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 

These  weapons  were  much  more  efficient  than  it 
would  bo  supposed  possible  that  such  rude  contriv 
ances  could  be.  Of  course,  in  throwing  an  arrow 
from  a  bow  everything  depends  upon  the  strength 
of  the  arm  which  discharges  it.  But  it  is  said 
that  some  of  the  western  Indians  could  shoot  an 
arrow  swifter  than  a  bullet  could  bo  thrown  from  a 
gun;  and  ono  of  them  has  been  known  to  pass 
entirely  through  the  body  of  a  buffalo  —  at  least  so 
it  is  st.itod  on  what  seems  to  bo  very  good  authori 
ty.  When  De  Soto  landed  in  Florida  his  horse 
was  shot  under  him,  in  an  attack  from  the  Indians, 
by  an  arrow  which  passed  through  the  covering  of 
the  saddle,  and  entered  seven  or  eight  inches  into 
the  animal's  side. 

In  one  case,  too,  when  a  man  was  killed  by  one 
^f  these  arrows,  the  head  of  it  was  found  imbedded 
in  the  solid  part  of  the  bone  of  his  leg,  so  that  it 
could  not  be  pulled  out  again. 

After  all,  however,  the  immense  superiority  of  the 
European  fire-arms  became  immediately  apparent, 
when  the  comparison  came  to  be  made  between  the 
two  classes  of  -\yeapons.  Some  very  amusing  ac- 


186  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

counts  are  given  by  the  early  explorers  of  the 
American  continent,  of  the  astonishment  the  In 
dians  sometimes  manifested  when  they  first  wit 
nessed  the  effects  produced  by  a  discharge  of  mus 
ketry.  They  were  not  always  pleased  to  find  how 
immensely  superior  the  weapons  of  the  white  man 
were. 

SUPERIORITY   OF   FIRE-ARMS. 

A  party  of  French  explorers  under  the  command 
of  a  certain  officer  named  Laudonniere,  whose  ad 
ventures  will  be  narrated  in  full  in  the  third  volume 
of  this  series,  when  making  an  excursion  in  boats 
up  a  certain  river  in  Florida,  and  lauding  from  time 
to  time  to  communicate  with  .the  Indians,  and  to 
trade  with  them,  were  received  at  one  time  by  a 
chieftain  in  his  village,  who  in  the  course  of  the  in 
terview  proposed  a  trial  of  the  muskets  of  the 
visitors  against  the  bows  and  arrows  of  his  war 
riors.  Laudonniere  gives  an  account  of  the  affair 
in  the  following  language  : 

"  In  our  discoursing  with  one  another  wee  entred  into 
speach  as  touching  the  exercife  of  armes.  Then  the 
chief  caufed  a  corfelet  to  be  fet  on  end  and  prayed  me  to 
make  a  proofe  of  our  Harguebuzes  and  their  bowes.  But 
this  proole,  when  we  had  made  it,  pleafed  him  very 
little.  For  as  foon  as  he  knew  that  our  Harguebuzes  did 
eafily  pearce  that  which  all  the  force  of  their  bowes 
could  not  hurt  he  feemed  to  be  forie,  mufing,  with  him- 
felfe  how  this  thing  might  be  done." 


MECHANIC   ARTS.  187 

CURIOUS  MODES  OF  MAKING  HANDLES. 

One  of  the  nicest  operations  with  us,  in  the 
practice  of  the  mechanical  arte,  is  that  of  putting 
a  handle  to  a  tool  in  such  a  manner  that  it  shall 
bo  firm  and  strong,  and  capable  of  standing  the 
heavy  usage  to  w  .ich  many  tools  are  subject.  The 
Indians  had  several  ingenious  modes  of  accomplish 
ing  this  purpose.  Sometimes,  as  has  been  stated 
in  another  place,  they  made  the  handle  of  a  withe, 
which  was  wound  around  the  tool,  in  a  groove 
hewn  in  the  stone  for  the  purpose.  The  withe 
was  put  on  when  green,  and  by  this  means  it  could 
be  closely  fitted,  and  then  when  dry  it  became  per 
fectly  rigid  and  firm. 

Another  mode  was  to  make  a  cleft  in  a  young 
and  growing  stem  and  carefully  insert  the  tool  into 
it  in  such  a  manner  that  the  two  parts  of  the  stem 
should  closely  embrace  the  groove  of  the  tool,  and 
then  leave  the  whole  until  the  wood  should  grow 
over  the  stone  so  as  to  hold  it  securely.  The  stem 
was  then  cut  off  and  the  shaft  of  it  fashioned  into 
the  proper  form. 

STONE-HEADED   MACE. 

Some  of  the  tribes  had  an  ingenious  way  of  fas 
tening  a  round  stone  to  the  end  of  a  long  handle 


188  MECHANIC    ARTS. 

for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  mace  or  war-club. 
They  would  draw  a  piece  of  green  hide  over  the 
stone,  and  bring  the  edges  of  it  down  round  the 
handle,  and  lash  it  there  by  means  of  a  thong  of 
the  same  material  wound  round  and  round  it,  in  a 
close  spiral.  The  result  was  that  the  hide,  in 
drying,  would  shrink  and  harden,  and  bind  the 
stone  in  the  firmest  possible  manner  to  the  handle. 
By  this  means  a  weapon  of  a  very  formidable  char 
acter  was  produced. 

MILITARY   ORNAMENTS. 

The  Indians  displayed  a  great  deal  of  skill  in 
making  ornaments  of  various  kinds  with  which  to 
decorate  their  chiefs  when  going  to  war.  These 
ornaments  were  made  of  the  horns  of  animals,  the 
feathers  of  birds,  porcupine  quills,  and  of  long  hair 
dyed  of  various  brilliant  colors.  They  particularly 
prized  the  feathers  of  eagles  for  these  decorations, 
on  account  of  the  fierce  and  terrible  courage  of 
that  bird,  which  they  seemed  to  imagine  imparted 
an  expression  of  martial  prowess  to  his  very 
plumes. 

For  the  same  reason  the  great  warriors  chose  for 
their  cloth  in  ^  the  skins  of  the  fiercest  and  most 

o 

formidable  beasts  of  prey.  A  warrior  dressed  in 
full  in  these  habiliments — his  spear,  his  head- 


MECHANIC    ARTS. 


189 


dress,  his  sleeves,  and  the  borders  of  his  garments 
all  adorned  with  feathers  and  fringes  of  hair  dyed 
of  the  most  gaudy  colors  —  presented  sometimes  a 
moat  extraordinary  spectacle. 

It  is  quite 
a  remarkable 
fact  that,  a- 
mong  all  In 
dian  tribes,  it 
was  the  pre 
vailing  fash  ion 
for  the  men  to 
wear  the  fin 
ery.  The  wo 
rn  3n  were  all 
accustomed  to 
dress  in  a 
very  plain  and 
unostentatious 
manner.  It  is 
curious  to  ob 
serve,  too,  that 
among  all  the  animals  inferior  to  man  it  is  the 
male  usually  that  monopolizes  the  gaudy  decora 
tions. 

IIUVTTXO 


INDIAN  CIIIEF  IN  HIS  MILITARY  DRESS. 


Great  was  the  ingenuity  which  the  Indians  dis- 


190  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

played  in  hunting  and  trapping  game  and  in  catch 
ing  fish,  both  from  the  inland  waters  and  from  the 
sea.  In  hunting  they  depended  mainly  on  strata 
gem.  Indeed,  their  weapons  were  so  few  and  the 
range  attainable  by  them  was  so  limited,  that  arti 
fice  and  wiles  became  almost  necessarily  their  main 
resource. 

They  were  very  ingenious,  too,  in  contriving 
traps  to  set  for  wild  animals.  The  most  common 
mode  of  setting  a  trap  was  by  poising  one  end  of  a 
log  of  wood,  larger  or  smaller  according  to  the  size 
and  strength  of  the  animal  to  be  taken,  in  such  a 
manner  that,  on  touching  a  stick  to  which  the  bait 
was  attached,  the  log  would  fall  down  and  crush 
the  victim  beneath  it.  An  Indian  would  go  forth 
in  the  morning  from  his  wigwam  and  take  a  great 
circuit  through  the  forest,  setting  traps  of  this 
kind  at  different  places  along  the  way.  He  would 
keep  his  bow  in  his  hand  all  the  time,  with  an 
arrow  ready  at  any  moment  to  be  adjusted  to  the 
string,  and  would  creep  along  stealthily  as  he 
advanced,  looking  out  in  every  direction,  both 
on  the  ground  and  upon  the  trees,  and  noticing 
every  indication,  however  slight,  of  any  animals 
being  near.  He  looked  carefully  for  tracks,  for 
marks  of  browsing  upon  the  trees,  for  branches 


MECHANIC    ARTS.  191 

bent  or  broken  down,  and  for  every  other  sign  or 
token  which  a  passing  animal  might  leave. 

SOLITARY    HABITS   OF   THE    INDIAN. 

In  his  march  through  the  woods  on  these  expe 
ditions  the  Indian  was  always  alone.  Even  if,  for 
any  reason,  two  or  more-  persons  were  going  the 
same  way,  they  did  not  walk  together,  making 
their  observations  in  common,  and  beguiling  the 
gloom  and  solitude  of  the  forest  by  conversation. 
That  would  have  diverted  their  attention  and  inter 
fered  with  their  work.  So  in  such  cases  they 
walked  at  a  distance  from  each  other,  each  making 
his  own  observations  and  keeping  his  own  watch. 
It  is  a  general  law  of  nature,  as  has  already  been 
remarked,  that  wild  animals  seeking  prey  are 
silent  and  solitary  in  their  habits,  prowling  about 
stealthily  and  avoiding  their  own  kind  while  watch 
ing  for  their  victims.  In  these  hunting  excursions 
the  Indian  himself  was  little  else  than  a  wild  ani 
mal  seeking  his  prey,  and  he  was  endowed  by 
nature  with  the  qualities  that  pertain  to  such  a 
condition. 

SUMMER   HUNTING. 

In  summer  hunting  the  Indian  killed  animals 
for  the  sake  of  their  flesh,  to  be  used  for  food,  for 


192  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

in  the  summer,  and  especially  in  the  latter  part  of 
it,  all  such  animals  are  fat,  and  their  flesh  is  in 
the  best  possible  condition  to  be  eaten.  If  the 
hunter  took  more  than  he  needed  at  this  season 
for  his  immediate  wants,  his  wife  preserved  the 
surplus  by  smoking  or  drying  it  in  the  manner 
already  explained. 

In  these  summer  excursions  the  Indian  often 
went  in  his  canoe,  following  the  streams  or  the 
shores  of  a  lake  or  pond,  and  landing  here  and 
there  in  secluded  places,  to  go  in  among  the 
thickets  and  set  his  traps,  or  examine  those  set  the 
day  before.  Generally  he  was  alone  in  his  canoe. 
If,  however,  he  had  a  companion,  they  both  pre 
served  the  same  silence  and  caution  as  when  on  the 
land.  Each  would,  in  his  own  part  of  the  canoe, 
ply  his  paddle,  watching  the  shores  of  the  stream 
and  the  trees  which  overhung  the  bank,  as  the  boat 
went  on,  and  looking  earnestly  into  every  hidden 
recess.  Thus  they  would  glide  on  without  a  word. 
On  such  excursions  they  deemed  it  necessary  that 
silence,  vigilant  and  constant  circumspection,  and 
a  readiness  that  was  never  off  its  guard  to  spring 
forward  in  an  instant,  whenever  an  emergency 
might  arise  requiring  sudden  action,  should  be 
maintained  without  any  intermission ;  for  besides 
the  danger  that  by  inattention  they  might  miss 


MECHANIC   ARTS.  193 

their  game,  their  own  personal  safety  was  at  stake. 
A  wild  beast  might  at  any  moment  spring  upon 
them  from  a  thicket,  or  a  shower  of  arrows  from  a 
party  of  human  enemies  come  whistling  through 
the  air  from  some  unobserved  ambuscade. 

All  their  faculties  were  thus  kept,  on  these  ex 
cursions,  in  a  state  of  close  and  constant  tension, 
and  being  engaged  as  they  were,  for  a  great  por 
tion  of  their  time,  in  these  pursuits,  they  acquired 
the  habit  of  being  silent,  grave,  watchful  and  cun 
ning,  in  all  their  demeanor. 

NIGHT   HUNTING. 

Among  some  tribes  a  practice  prevailed  of  hunt 
ing  deer  in  a  very  singular  way,  arid  one  in  which 
there  must  sometimes  have  been  produced  a  very 
striking  and  picturesque  effect.  The  method  was 
by  fascinating  the  deer,  as  it  were,  by  means  of  a 
bright  fire  made  to  float  down  at  night  on  a  soli 
tary  stream.  The  fire  was  built  upon  the  bow  of 
a  canoe — a  small  platform  covered  with  sand  hav 
ing  first  been  made  there  to  serve  as  a  fire-place. 
Behind  the  fire  a  thick  screen,  made  of  the 
branches  of  evergreen  trees,  was  placed,  and  be 
hind  this  screen  the  hunter  was  concealed,  armed 
with  his  bow  and  arrow,  and  ready  for  instantane 
ous  action. 

9 


194  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

The  deer,  seeing  this  bright  light  upon  the 
water,  would  come  down  to  the  brink  and  gaze  at 
it,  under  the  influence  of  a  sort  of  fascination,  by 
which  he  was  spell-bound,  as  it  were,  and  held 
motionless  on  the  shore  until  the  boat  came  near 
enougli  for  the  hunter  to  transfix  him  with  his 

arrow. 

• 

SNOW   SHOES. 

The  snow  shoe  which  the  hunter  used  in  winter 
was  substantially  a  flat  piece  of  basket  work,  of  an 
oval  form,  which  formed  a  broad  extension  of  the 
sole  of  his  moccasin,  and  prevented  his  foot  from 
sinking  beneath  the  surface  of  the  snow,  whether 
it  was  the  light,  powdery  drift  of  a  fresh  fall  that 
he  was  walking  upon,  or  the  damp,  heavy  mass 
into  which  the  beams  of  the  sun  transform  the  old 
snow  of  the  woods  and  fields  in  the  spring. 

A  snow  shoe,  such  as  the  Indians  used,  is  made 
as  follows :  First,  a  strip  of  flexible  wood  is  bent 
into  an  oval  form  for  the  outside  frame.  Two  bars 
are  then  carried  across  from  side  to  side  and  lashed 
to  their  places  by  thongs  of  green  hide.  These 
bars  serve  the  double  purpose  of  bracing  the  outer 
rim  and  keeping  it  to  its  form,  and  also  as  points 
of  support  for  the  heel  and  toe.  The  interstices  of 
the  frame  thus  made  are  then  filled  by  stretching  a 


MECHANIC    ARTS.  197 

skin  over  them  and  sewing  it  to  the  outer  rim,  or 
by  weaving  in,  over  the  intervening  space,  a  sort 
of  basket-work  of  thongs. 

When  the  shoe  is  to  be  put  on,  the  toe  is  slipped 
under  a  strap  attached  to  the  front  bar  and  is 
fastened  there.  The  heel  is  not  fastened,  but  rises 
from  the  shoe  when  the  foot  is  lifted,  so  that  the 
shoe  is  raised  and  moved  by  the  toe  alone.  Indeed, 
the  heel  of  the  snow  shoe  is  not  raised  at  all  in  the 
act  of  walking.  The  toe  only  is  lifted,  and  the 
heel  is  dragged  along  upon  the  snow  till  the  toe  is 
put  down  again.  Of  course,  it  is  only  a  very  in 
convenient  and  shuffling  kind  of  walking  that  can 
be  performed  in  this  way,  but  it  is  much  better 
than  sinking  at  every  step  two  or  three  feet  into 
the  snow. 

ADVENTURES   IN   THE   "WOODS. 

Of  course  the  Indians,  in  their  excursions  in  the 
forests,  were  sometimes  themselves  attacked  by 
wild  beasts  that  had  been  made  fierce  by  hunger  or 
had  become  excited  in  other  ways.  The  forests 
which  they  traversed  were  inhabited  by  bears, 
wolves,  wild  cats,  and  other  ferocious  beasts  of 
prey,  that  often,  when  hungry,  would  attack  men, 
And  even  the  more  gentle  and  peaceable  animals, 
such  as  the  buffalo  and  the  moose,  during  certain 


198  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

seasons  and  in  certain  states  of  excitement,  some 
times  became  very  formidable.  The  Indian  was 
generally  prepared  for  these  encounters,  and,  not 
withstanding  the  inferiority  of  his  weapons,  he 
almost  always  came  off  victorious  from  them. 

A  story  is  related  of  a  young  Indian  who  had 
been  setting  traps  in  the  woods  and  was  returning 
home,  when  suddenly  he  saw  among  the  trees  a 
large  moose  coming  toward  him  with  a  very  threat 
ening  air.  He  had  nothing  with  him  but  a  knife 
— one  probably  made  of  stone.  He  retreated  be 
hind  a  tree ;  the  moose  advanced.  He  watched  his 
opportunity  and  fell  behind  another  tree — the 
moose  advancing  all  the  time  and  tearing  up  the 
ground  with  his  hoofs,  evidently  in  a  state  of  great 
excitement.  The  Indian  contrived,  while  dodging 
about  from  one  tree  to  another,  to  get  out  his 
knife  and  cut  a  pole.  He  also  pulled  off  one  of  his 
moccasins  and  drew  out  the  string  which  tied  it. 
By  means  of  this  string  he  lashed  his  knife  to  the 
end  of  his  pole,  thus  forming  a  rude  sort  of  spear. 

All  the  time  while  he  was  making  these  pre 
parations  the  moose  was  hotly  pursuing  him,  and 
he  could  only  keep  out  of  his  way  by  running 
from  one  tree  to  another,  by  which  means,  how 
ever,  he  could  only  gain  a  moment's  shelter  at  a 
time. 


MECHANIC    ARTS.  199 

When  at  length  the  weapon  was  completed  he 
attacked  the  moose  in  his  turn,  aiming  his  thrusts 
at  the  animal's  throat,  and  still  seeking  shelter  be 
hind  a  tree  after  every  blow.  At  length,  after  a 
long  contest,  during  which  many  wounds  were 
given,  the  moose  became  exhausted  with  his  fran 
tic  exertions  and  his  loss  of  blood,  and  he  was 
finally  killed. 

When  afterwards  the  friends  of  the  Indian  came 
with  him  to  the  place,  to  secure  the  carcass,  they 
found  the  grass  and  the  underbrush  trampled 
down  and  covered  with  blood  for  a  great  distance 
around. 


FISHING. 


The  Indians  evinced  a  great  deal  of  ingenuity 
in  their  contrivances  for  fishing.  They  could  make 
a  sort  of  twine  by  twisting  together  the  fibers  of 
a  certain  kind  of  bark,  and  with  this  they  could 
make  nets.  In  setting  these  nets  they  used  pieces 
of  wood  for  floats,  and  stones  for  sinkers.  In  the 
winter  they  would  sometimes  set  these  nets  be 
neath  the  ice  by  making  a  row  of  holes  in  the  ice 
along  the  line  where  they  wished  the  net  to  be 
placed,  and  then  they  would  contrive  by  some 
means  to  pass  the  net  underneath  from  one  hole 
to  another,  till  it  extended  the  whole  length  of  the 


200 


MECHANIC   ARTS. 


line,  and  when  in  this  position  the  stones  would 
carry  it  down  to  the  bottom. 


BOW    AND    AKKOW    FISHING. 


Sometimes  in  the  summer  they  used  to  take  fish 
by  shooting  them  with  an  arrow  while  they  were 


MECHANIC    ARTS.  201 


swimming  in  the  water,  they  themselves  standing 
on  the  bank  and  watching  till  they  saw  the  fish 
come  sufficiently  near.  In  such  cases  a  string 
was  attached  to  the  arrow,  by  means  of  which  the 
fish  could  be  drawn  to  the  land  and  the  arrow 
also  recovered.* 

It  is  astonishing  to  what  perfection  of  workman 
ship  some  of  the  Indians  attained  in  the  fabrication 
of  their  bows  and  arrows.  The  bows  were  formed 
of  various  materials,  and  sometimes,  ;:s.  for  ex 
ample,  when  they  were  made  of  substances  like 
horn,  they  were  spliced  and  strengthened  in  a  very 
ingenious  manner.  A  western  traveller  saw  one  a 
few  years  since  in  the  hands  of  a  chief  which  was 
worth  the  price  of  two  horses,  and  he  actually 
bought  two  horses,  at  twenty-five  dollars  a  piece, 
to  give  in  exchange  for  the  bow.  The  string  was 
made  of  the  sinews  of  a  deer. 

*  Any  young  reader  of  this  book,  who  may  feel  disposed  to 
ascertain  practically  what  degree  of  difficulty  attends  this  mode 
of  fishing,  may  easily  make  the  experiment  by  heating  a  large 
fish-hook  in  tho  fire,  in  order  to  take  out  the  temper,  and  then 
carefully  straightening  it  and  inserting  it  into  the  end  of  hia 
arrow,  and  shooting  at  any  fishes  which  he  may  see  swimming 
near  tho  shore.  Before  ho  succeeds  in  hitting  many  of  them,  he 
will  have  to  learn  something  about  the  refraction  of  light,  aa 
affecting  tho  apparent  position  of  objects  seen  under  water, 

which  boys  are  not  all  supposed  to  understand. 
9* 


202  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

The  arrows,  too,  were  very  nicely  made.  There 
were  two  kinds,  one  for  hunting  and  one  for  war. 
A  good  quiver  would  contain  a  hundred  arrows, 
and  an  expert  hunter  could,  if  necessary,  draw  and 
shoot  fifteen  or  twenty  in  a  minute,  running  all 
the  time  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  either  toward  or 
from  his  enemy  or  his  game. 

Sometimes,  instead  of  shooting  the  fish  with 
arrows,  the  Indians  speared  them  through  the 
ice.  In  this  latter  case  they  would  first  make  a 
hole  in  tho  ice,  and  then  lie  down  upon  their  faces 
over  it,  so  as  to  look  into  the  water.  They  would 
then  cover  their  heads  with  a  mat  or  with  ever 
green  boughs,  in  order  to  protect  their  eyes  from 
the  glare  of  the  sun,  and  in  this  way  they  could 
see  almost  or  quite  to  the  bottom.  They  would 
then  put  down  through  the  hole  a  little  fish  on  the 
end  of  a  pointed  stick  for  bait.  They  would  hold 
this  stick  in  the  left  hand,  and  with  the  right  they 
would  hold  the  spear,  and  when  the  fish  came  to 
the  bait,  with  a  sudden  and  very  dexterous  thrust 
of  the  spear  they  would  impale  him. 

They  had  a  very  ingenious  sort  of  spear  which 
they  used  on  this  and  on  other  occasions.  It  had 
several  prongs,  and  each  prong  was  armed  with  a 
sharp  point  made  of  bone  or  of  horn,  and  dexter 
ously  fastened  to  the  wood  in  such  a  manner  that 


MECHANIC    ARTS.  203 

it  could  be  thrust  into  the  fish,  and  yet  so  slightly 
fastened  that  when  the  fish  struggled  to  escape,  the 
point  would  come  off  and  remain  sticking  in  his 
flesh.  There  was  a  cord  attached  to  the  point, 
which  passed  up  into  the  hand  of  the  fisherman. 
Thus,  when  the  fish  was  pierced  and  attempted  to 
swim  away,  the  fisherman  could  control  his  mo 
tions  by  the  line,  just  as  an  angler  does  at  the 
present  day,  and  so  finally,  when  he  became  ex 
hausted,  bring  him  to  the  land.  This  was  the 
nearest  approach  to  our  contrivance  of  a  fish-hook 
which  they  were  able  to  accomplish.  Some  of 
these  spear-heads  were  very  nicely  made,  and  were 
barbed  by  means  of  a  second  point  delicately 
lashed  to  the  principal  one  at  the  proper  angle. 
Sometimes  these  points  were  made  of  thorns. 

VARIOUS   MANUFACTURES. 

The  Indians  were  accustomed  to  fabricate  vari 
ous  other  articles  of  simple  construction  and  use, 
such  as  a  sort  of  awl,  or  rather  stiletto,  from,  a 
thorn,  by  which,  in  sewing,  they  made  holes  for 
the  thread,  in  the  skin,  or  the  birch  bark,  or- what 
ever  the  material  might  be  that  they  were  at  work 
upon.  Besides  leggins  and  moccasins,  they  made 
a  number  of  other  useful  articles  by  means  of  these 
needles,  such  as  pouches  to  hold  tobacco,  and  small 


204  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

bags  called  paint- bags,  to  contain  ochres  and  other 
pigments  which  they  used  to  paint  their  faces  with, 
and  also  quivers  to  contain  their  arrows.  Some 
of  these  things  were  made  plain,  but  others  were 
ornamented  with  embroidery,  fringes  of  dyed  hair, 
feathers,  porcupine  quills,  and  other  such  things, 
in  a  most  elaborate  manner. 

In  weaving  mats  they  used  a  long,  slender  piece 
of  bone  for  working  in  the  filling — the  rushes 
forming  the  warp.  This  bone  served  the  purpose 
of  a  shuttle,  and  the  mats  woven  by  it  were  very 
compact  and  strong.  The  shuttle  had  a  cleft 
formed  in  each  end,  so  that  the  thread  that  was 
used  for  the  filling  could  be  wound  upon  it. 

They  manufactured  also  a  great  variety  of  pipes, 
some  of  them  considerably  artistic  in  form  and 
finish.  The  material  of  these  pipes  was  usually 
some  sort  of  stone  soft  enough  to  be  worked  by 
such  tools  as  they  could  command,  but  often  they 
were  made  of  clay  and  baked  in  the  fire.  When 
made  of  stone  the  bowls  were  ground  out  by  means 
of  a  hard-pointed  stick,  of  the  shape  of  the  intend 
ed  cavity,  worked  with  sand  and  water. 

PAINTING   THE    FACE. 

The  custom  of  painting  the  face  and  other  parts 
of  the  body  seems  to  have  originated  in  that  of 


MECHANIC    ARTS.  205 

oiling  the  skin,  which,  it  is  said,  produced  a  sal 
utary  effect  in  the  summer  by  checking  the  perspi 
ration  in  some  degree,  and  defending  the  person 
from  the  attacks  of  insects.  This  latter  end  was 
the  better  attained  when  some  foreign  substance 
was  mixed  with  the  oil,  and  in  choosing  the  sub 
stance  to  be  applied  it  was  natural  that  savages 
should  soon  learn  to  fancy  something  that  was 
ornamental  as  well  as  useful.  In  certain  tropical 
countries,  where  the  natives  are  in  a  state  of  great 
barbarism,  a  custom  prevails  of  anointing  the  body 
with  a  wash  of  thin  mud  or  clay,  which,  when  it  is 
dried  and  hardened,  forms  a  coat  that  the  proboscis 
of  gnats  and  midges  cannot  penetrate.  The  In 
dians,  with  their  colored  ochres  ground  in  oils 
which  they  had  obtained  from  the  beavers  and  the 
bears,  considered  themselves  doubtless  on  a  far 
higher  level  of  refinement  and  civilization  than 
such  poor  savages  as  these,  daubed  with  a  mere 
paste  of  clay. 


THE    TIKKINAGON. 


Although  the  women  were  very  little  in  the 
habit  of  decorating  themselves,  but  surrendered  all 
fringes  and  feathers  and  other  such  finery  to  their 
husbands  and  sons,  they  sometimes  expended  a 
great  deal  of  time  and  labor  in  making  and  deco- 


206  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

rating  the  little  cradle,  if  cradle  it  may  be  called, 
which  was  prepared  for  the  baby.  In  the  language 
of  some  of  the  tribes  it  was  called  a  Tikkinagon. 

This  contrivance,  as  has  already  been  said,  was 
formed  of  a  board,  or  of  some  flat  fabric  of  their  own 
make  equivalent  to  a  board.  Near  the  foot  of  it 
was  a  projection  like  a  shelf  to  support  the  baby's 
feet.  This  projection  was  often  curved  so  as  to 
come  up  a  little  way  on  each  side  of  the  legs,  in 
order  to  support  them  laterally.  There  was  a 
socket  made  for  the  head,  which  was  padded  with 
soft  moss,  and  there  was  a  strap  which  came  over 
the  forehead  when  the  baby  was  put  into  its  place, 
so  as  to  stay  the  head  and  keep  it  from  rolling 
about.  There  were  other  bands  which  passed 
across  from  side  to  side  over  the  breast  and  thighs 
of  the  baby.  The  whole  was  often  very  elaborately 
made,  and  all  the  bands  and  borders  were  orna 
mented  with  carvings  and  embroidery  in  a  very 
curious  manner. 

The  position  of  the  poor  baby,  when  put  into  a 
Tikkinagon,  was,  of  course,  fixed  and  immovable, 
for  his  head  and  limbs  were  fastened  in  every  part, 
so  that  he  could  not  move  them  at  all.  In  this 
condition  he  looked  more  like  an  Egyptian  mummy 
that  had  been  three  thousand  years  embalmed,  than 
like  a  living  child  just  coming  forward  into  being. 


MECHANIC    ARTS  207 

He  bore  the  confinement,  however,  with  a  stoicism 
characteristic  of  his  race.  Whether  in  his  rigid 
and  unyielding  couch  he  was  strapped  to  his 
mother's  back  upon  a  journey,  or  laid  down  upon 
the  bottom  of  a  boat,  or  hung  up  in  a  tree,  he  was 
silent,  patient,  motionless,  and,  to  all  appearance, 
totally  unconcerned ;  thus  showing  that  the  very 
low  degree  of  sensibility,  both  to  excitement  and  to 
pain,  and  the  emotionless  and  passive  taciturnity 
which  so  strongly  mark  the  race,  were  qualities 
native  and  hereditary,  riot  acquired. 

The  Tikkinagon,  however,  sometimes  contained  a 
slight  recognition  of  the  baby's  claim  to  be  pro 
vided  with  something  to  occupy  and  amuse  him,  as 
a  strip  of  elastic  wood  was  not  unfrequently  at 
tached  to  the  board,  with  certain  little  shells  and 
pebbles  fastened  to  the  end  of  it,  in  such  a  manner 
that,  when  the  board  was  swinging  from  a  tree,  the 
little  nursling  would  have  those  toys  jingling  be 
fore  him. 

FIRE. 

The  Indians  manifested  much  ingenuity  in  their 
mode  of  obtaining  fire.  It  was  very  seldom  that  it 
was  necessary  to  do  this  by  artificial  means,  for  they 
were  very  careful  not  to  allow  the  fires  in  their 
wigwams  to  go  out ;  and  if  at  any  time  one  went 
out  the  others  were  at  hand  from  which  to  renew 


208  MECHANIC    ARTS, 

it.  Preserving  their  fires  was  thus  an  object  of 
special  attention.  At  certain  places  where  councils 
were  held  provision  was  made,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
vestal  temple  in  Rome,  for  keeping  up  a  perpetual 
fire. 

Still  it  would  often  happen  that  hunting  parties 
far  away  from  home,  and  sometimes  the  inhabitants 
of  a  solitary  wigwam,  would  be  without  fire,  and 
without  any  means  at  hand  of  obtaining  it  except 
by  some  artificial  process.  It  is  well  known  that 
all  friction  produces  heat,  and  that  the  friction  of 
two  dry  pieces  of  wood,  if  sufficiently  violent  and 
long  continued,  will  inflame  them,  but  it  is  very 
difficult,  without  some  appropriate  machinery,  to 
maintain  a  powerful  friction  long  enough  to  pro 
duce  the  effect.  Very  few  civilized  men  can  get 
fire  from  dry  wood  by  such  a  process. 

The  way  in  which  the  Indians  managed  it  was 
this :  They  would  first  make  a  small  cavity  in  a 
piece  of  very  dry  wood  of  a  certain  kind — it  was 
only  wood  of  a  certain  kind  that  would  answer  the 
purpose.  They  made  the  cavity  by  boring  into 
the  wood  with  the  point  of  a  sharp  stone.  Then 
they  would  select  a  long,  round  stick — which  must 
be  also  perfectly  dry — and  form  the  end  of  it  to  a 
point  rudely  fitting  the  cavity  which  they  had 
bored. 


MECHANIC    ARTS.  209 

To  perform  the  operation,  after  the  arrange 
ments  were  thus  made,  required  three  men.  Set 
ting  the  stick  upright  in  the  hole,  one  of  the  men 
would  take  hold  at  the  top,  and  by  rolling  it  to 
and  fro  between  his  two  hands  would  cause  the 
point  to  turn  rapidly  this  way  and  that  in  the 
cavity.  He  would  bear  down  also  with  his  hands 
as  he  rolled  the  stick  between  them,  in  order  to 
keep  the  point  of  the  stick  in  the  hole  and  also  to 
increase  the  friction.  But,  in  consequence  of  this 
bearing  down,  his  hands  would  gradually  descend 
as  he  rolled.  When  he  had  nearly  reached  the 
bottom  the  second  man  stood  ready  to  begin  at  the 
top  by  taking  the  stick  between  his  hands  in  the 
same  manner.  By  this  means  the  rotation  of  the 
point  of  the  stick  in  the  hole  was  kept  up  without 
any  intermission  until  at  length  smoke,  and  soon 
afterward  sparks  of  fire,  would  appear. 

The  third  person  engaged  in  the  operation  stood 
by  all  the  while  watching  the  process,  and  holding 
a  piece  of  punk,  or  spunk,  as  it  is  sometimes 
called,  in  his  hand,  ready  to  catch  the  first  spark 
as  soon  as  it  should  appear.  As  soon  as  his  punk 
was  on  fire  he  would  blow  it  with  his  breath,  and 
finally,  by  means  of  it,  set  fire  to  a  little  heap  of 
dried  leaves  and  sticks  which  he  had  previously 
collected  for  the  purpose. 


210  MECHANIC   ARTS. 


WAMPUM. 


One  of  the  most  curious  things  connected  with 
Indian  ingenuity  and  art  was  wampum.  Wampum 
served  many  important  purposes  in  the  domestic 
and  social  economy  of  all  the  tribes.  It  was  used 
as  a  material  for  ornaments,  as  money,  and  also  as 
a  means  of  making  records  and  documents  of  all 
kinds. 

It  consisted  of  strings  of  what  might  he  called 
beads.  These  beads  were  made  of  shells  found 
upon  the  sea  shore,  and  worn  to  a  proper  form  by 
being  rubbed  upon  stones  of  a  sandy  texture. 
They  were  flat  and  round,  about  half  an  inch  in 
diameter,  and  perhaps  an  eighth  of  an  inch  thick. 
There  was  a  hole  in  the  center  of  each  by  which  it 
could  be  put  upon  a  string.  There  was  a  certain 
number  which  formed  what  was  called  a  string, 
and  a  number  of  strings  fastened  together,  side  by 
side,  formed  a  belt. 

There  were  two  principal  kinds  of  beads,  the 
white  and  the  purple.  The  white  were  made  from 
any  shell  that  would  furnish  material  of  that  color, 
and  were  of  much  less  value  than  the  others, 
which  were  made  of  shells  that  were  more  rare. 

The  strings  and  belts  of  different  colored  beads, 
variously  intermingled,  were  used  a  great  deal  for 


MECHANIC    ARTS.  211 

ornaments,  in  the  form  of  bracelets,  necklaces,  and 
the  like.  They  were  also  used  as  money.  For 
a  small  purchase  a  string  was  sufficient,  and  for 
a  larger  one  a  belt.  Sometimes,  to  adjust  the  pay 
ment  exactly  to  the  price  agreed  upon,  one  or 
more  strings  would  be  attached  to  a  belt,  or  addi 
tional  beads  to  a  string. 

After  the  white  men  came  into  the  country, 
and  by  their  dealings  with  the  Indians  established, 
in  some  sort,  the  relative  value  of  these  beads  and 
English  money,  six  beads  of  the  common  sort  were 
reckoned  at  one  penny. 

In  the  treaties  made  by  the  early  settlers  with 
the  Indian  tribes,  and  in  various  other  transactions 
in  which  they  were  mutually  concerned,  we  read 
of  great  quantities  of  wampum  being  passed  from 
one  party  to  another  in  making  payments.  In 
such  cases  the  amount  was  reckoned  by  fathoms, 
and  many  hundreds  of  fathoms  were  sometimes 
stipulated  for,  to  be  received  or  paid  in  important 
transactions.  When  the  Indians  had  these  large 
amounts  to  pay,  it  sometimes  required  many 
months  for  them  to  make  up  the  sum,  and  in  such 
cases  they  would  often  pay  a  portion  on  account, 
and  ask  an  extension  on  the  balance  due. 

Of  course,  the  wampum  so  paid  to  the  colonists 
was  of  no  use  to  them  except  to  pay  back  to  indi- 


212  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

vidual  Indians  again  in  exchange  for  baskets,  furs, 
skins,  and  other  articles  that  were  really  useful  to 
the  settlers. 

WAMPUM   USED   FOR   RECORDS  AND   DOCUMENTS. 

Another  very  important  use  to  which  wampum 
was  applied  was  for  records  and  accounts,  and  in 
deed  for  documents  of  all  kinds.  The  people  had 
a  way  of  arranging  beads  of  different  colors  so  as 
to  serve  as  symbols  of  various  kinds.  For  ex 
ample,  one  arrangement  denoted  a  beaver  skin, 
another  a  certain  amount  of  corn.  Another  com 
bination  would  denote  a  promise  to  give  or  to  pay, 
and  others  still  would  represent  the  persons  who 
were  parties  to  the  transaction.  On  the  same 
principle  there  were  symbols  to  denote  days,  or 
weeks,  or  monthsj  and  others  representing  different 
numbers.  It  is  obvious  that  by  combining  these 
symbols  in  a  proper  manner  a  rude  memorandum 
might  be  made  of  any  simple  transaction,  which, 
if  it  could  not  be  perfectly  understood  without  ex 
planation  by  a  third  person,  was  at  least  a  very 
good  memorial  for  the  use  of  parties  to  it. 

In  one  respect  this  mode  of  executing  bonds  and 
promissory  notes  was  superior  to  ours,  inasmuch 
as  in  the  case  of  the  failure  on  the  part  of  the 
promisaor  to  perform  his  promise,  the  obligation 


MECHANIC    ARTS.  213 

which  he  had  given  was  not,  as  with  us,  waste 
paper,  but,  so  far  as  it  went,  it  was  cash  in  itself, 
and  could  be  spent  as  such  like  any  other  money. 

TREATIES  AND  PUBLIC  RECORDS. 

Treaties  were  made  in  this  way,  and  records 
kept  of  all  important  events  and  transactions  in  the 
history  of  the  tribes ;  and  it  is  said  that  at  stated 
periods  the  great  sachems  were  accustomed  to  as 
semble  around  their  council  fires  and  look  over 
the  public  wampum,  to  refresh  their  memories  in 
respect  to  the  meaning  of  the  different  strings,  and 
to  explain  it  to  the  young  chieftains,  in  order  that 
a  proper  understanding  of  the  facts  arid  transac 
tions  recorded  by  them  might  be  handed  down 
from  generation  to  generation. 

It  is  obvious  that  without  some  precaution  of 
this  kind  the  precise  significancy  of  these  rude 
records  would  soon  be  lost.  And  yet  it  was  found 
that  the  memory  of  the  parties  to  any  transaction, 
when  assisted  by  a  memorandum  of  this  kind,  was 
exceedingly  tenacious.  A  story  is  told  of  a  Euro 
pean  who,  having  received  some  favor  from  an 
Indian,  gave  him  a  string  of  wampum,  saying  that 
it  was  a  pledge  that  he  was  the  Indian's  friend, 
and  that  if  any  occasion  should  ever  arise  he  would 
serve  him  to  the  utmost  of  his  power.  Forty 


214  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

years  afterward  the  Indian,  being  then  old,  friend 
less  and  destitute,  came  to  the  gentleman,  bring 
ing  the  wampum  with  him,  and  claimed  the 
performance  of  the  promise,  offering  the  wampum 
at  the  same  time  as  proof  that  the  promise  had 
been  given.  The  gentleman  at  once  acknowledged 
the  obligation  and  honorably  fulfilled  it. 


PICTORIAL   WRITING. 


A  great  number  of  the  Indian  tribes  had 
another  mode  of  recording  transactions  and  events 
besides  this  contrivance  of  wampum,  and  that  was 
by  rude  drawings  representing  pictorially  the 
transaction  or  event  which  they  wished  to  describe. 
The  material  on  which  these  drawings  were  made 
was  usually  birch  bark,  which  makes  a  very  good 
paper  for  such  a  purpose.  But  sometimes  the 
figures  were  painted  upon  the  smooth  surface  of  a 
rock  by  the  wayside,  or  upon  the  stem  of  a  tree, 
the  rough  outer  bark  having  been  first  scraped 
away. 

For  the  purpose  of  making  these  records,  every 
considerable  hunter  had  a  certain  symbol,  usually 
the  form  of  some  animal,  which  stood  for  his  name, 
and  was  known  to  all  his  acquaintances.  There 
was  some  sign  to  show  when  the  figure  of  the  ani 
mal  was  to  be  understood  in  this  symbolical  sense, 


MECHANIC   ARTS. 


215 


and  when  it  was  to  be  taken  literally.  All  visible 
objects  were  represented,  of  course,  in  rude  draw- 
in<rs.  in  outline,  of  the  objects  themselves.  Then 

O     '  «* 

there  were  certain  principles  of  arrangement,  and 
various  arbitrary  signs,  that  were  well  understood 
among  the  people,  which,  in  connection  with  the 
use  of  these  figures,  enabled  them  to  communicate 
quite  a  complicated  piece  of  information  in  a  com 
paratively  simple  yet  intelligible  manner.  This 
mode  of  communicating  ideas  will  be  best  illus 
trated  by  an  example. 

The  en 
graving  is 
the  exact 
copy  of  a 
notice  post 
ed  up  on  a 
pole  in  the 
woods  by 
the  Indians 
of  a  certain 
company 

that  had  encamped  there  during  the  night,  and 
which  was  left  in  order  to  give  information  respect 
ing  themselves  to  others  who  might  afterwards 
visit  the  spot.  It  was  a  company  consisting 
chiefly  of  Europeans,  though  there  were  two 


SPECIMEN    OF    THE    WRITING. 


216  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

Indian  chiefs  who  acted  as  guides,  and  it  was 
these  two  Indians  who  posted  the  notice.  The 
European  portion  of  the  party  consisted  of  a  com 
mander  and  five  persons  appointed  to  various  func 
tions  under  him,  such  as  secretary,  surveyor, 
mineralogist,  and  the  like.  These  are  represented 
by  a  row  of  figures  in  the  center  of  the  picture, 
reading  them  from  right  to  left  in  the  order  in 
which  such  a  column  would  march.  The  first  man 
is  the  commander,  as  is  denoted  by  his  sw^ord. 
The  others  are  represented  by  appropriate  sym 
bols — the  secretary  with  a  book,  the  mineralogist 
with  a  hammer,  the  surveyor  with  instruments, 
and  so  on.  These  objects  which  appear  small  and 
indistinct  in  the  engraving,  which  is  much  reduced, 
were  large  enough  to  be  distinct  in  the  original. 
That  these  men  were  Europeans  is  denoted  by 
their  wearing  hats. 

Next  to  them,  at  the  end  of  the  middle  line,  to 
the  left,  are  two  Indians,  shown  to  be  such  by  their 
being  bare-headed.  Beyond  is  a  fire,  showing 
that  these  persons  formed  one  mess  at  their  en 
campment. 

Above  is  a  line  of  figures  denoting  that  the 
party  was  escorted  by  eight  soldiers  armed  with 
muskets,  who  together  formed  another  mess,  as  is 
denoted  by  their  fire.  The  men  and  the  muskets 


MECHANIC    ARTS.  217 

are  represented  separately.  This  was  to  simplify 
the  work  of  making  the  drawing— it  being  less 
difficult  to  draw  the  guns  by  themselves  than  in 
the  hands  of  the  men.  On  the  corner  below  are 
delineated  the  figures  of  two  animals  which  had 
been  killed  the  day  before  for  food. 

ThiB  document,  executed  upon  a  large  piece  of 
birch  bark,  was  attached  by  the  Indians  that  made 
it  to  a  pole  which  was  set  in  the  ground  in  a 
slanting  direction,  the  top  of  the  pole  pointing  out 
the  course  which  the  party  making  the  record  had 
taken  in  continuing  their  journey. 

It  is  curious  to  observe  in  the  work,  especially 
in  the  mode  of  drawing  the  men,  how  ingeniously 
the  artists  contrived  to  make  their  delineations  as 
much  as  possible  by  straight  lines,  and  with  very 
few  of  these  in  each  figure.  This  was  quite  neces 
sary,  considering  the  intractable  nature  of  the 
materials  which  they  had  at  command,  and  the 
very  moderate  degree  of  skill  which  they  were 

able  to  exercise  in  using  them. 
10 


CHAPTER 

INDIAN     LEGENDS      AND     TALES. 

TRAVELERS  AMONG   THE   INDIANS. 

IN  every  period  since  the  first  arrival  of  Euro 
peans  in  the  country  there  have  been  many  persons 
who  have  taken  great  pleasure  in  visiting  the  Indian 
tribes,  and  even  in  living  among  them  for  consid 
erable  periods,  for  the  purpose  of  studying  their 
manners  and  customs,  learning  their  language,  and 
listening  to  their  legends  and  tales ;  and  many  of 
these  visitors,  on  their  return  to  the  civilized 
world,  have  published  what  they  have  thus  dis 
covered. 

The  tales  and  legends  which  some  of  these  trav 
elers  say  were  related  to  them  from  time  to  time, 
as  they  sat  on  some  summer  evening  in  the  open 
air  amid  a  little  circle  of  listeners  gathered  from 
an  Indian  encampment,  or  assembled  in  winter 
around  the  wigwam  fire,  are,  or  at  least  many  of 
them  are,  exceedingly  curious,  and  they  give  us 
considerable  insight  into  the  manners  and  customs^ 


TXDIAN  LEGENDS  AND  TALES.      219 


and  still  more  into  the  ideas  and  sentiments  which 
prevailed  among  the  different  nations.  The  follow 
ing  are  among  some  of  these  legends.  The  first  is 
an  account  of  the  origin  of  man,  as  given  by  a  tra 
dition  handed  down  by  one  of  the  western  tribes : 


ORIGIN   OF   MAN. 

In  ancient  times  there  was  a  snail  living  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi.  He  lived  there  in 
peace  and  quietness  for  some  time,  until  at  last  a 
great  inundation  came  and  he  was  in  danger  of 
being  drowned.  He  crawled  upon  a  log  to  save 
his  life,  and  while  he  was  upon  it  the  log  was 
lifted  up  by  the  water  and  borne  away  down  the 
stream. 

At  length  it  was  cast  upon  a  bank  and  the  snail 
crept  off  from  it  to  the  shore ;  but  instead  of  land 
ing  upon  hard  ground  he  found  only  mud  and 
slime.  He  crawled  along  over  the  soft  surface  a 
little  way,  but  presently  the  sun  came  up,  and, 
shining  very  hot,  it  suddenly  dried  up  the  mud, 
and,  as  it  were,  baked  the  poor  snail  in. 

He  struggled  for  some  time  to  get  free,  and  at 
last,  faint  with  hunger  and  exhausted  with  fatigue, 
he  was  about  giving  up  in  despair  when  suddenly 
he  found  himself  undergoing  a  strange  transforma 
tion,  and  at  the  same  time  increasing  marvellously 


220      INDIAN  LEGENDS  AND  TALES. 

in  size.  Legs  were  growing  out  from  him  below 
and  a  head  and  arms  above.  In  short,  he  found 
himself  turning  into  a  man. 

The  transformation  was  soon  complete,  and  he 
stood  out  upon  the  bank  changed  into  a  perfect 
human  form,  but  emaciated  and  weak,  and  more 
hungry  than  ever.  Indeed,  he  was  almost  starved. 
He  was  naked,  too,  as  well  as  hungry,  and  thus 
his  limbs  were  exposed  and  defenceless.  Though 
he  saw  birds  flying  around  him  in  the  air,  and  land 
animals  moving  to  and  fro,  he  did  not  know  how 
to  proceed  in  order  to  procure  food  and  clothing 
from  them. 

At  length  the  Great  Spirit  appeared  to  him  and 
called  him  by  name,  expressing,  at  the  same  time, 
a  feeling  of  kindness  and  sympathy  for  him  in  his 
destitute  and  helpless  condition. 

The  Great  Spirit  brought  him  a  bow  and  arrow 
and  showed  him  how  to  shoot  a  deer  with  it. 
"When  the  deer  was  killed  he  showed  him  that  the 
flesh  was  good  for  food. 

The  Great  Spirit  then  brought  him  fire,  and 
showed  him  how  he  was  to  proceed,  by  means  of 
it,  to  cook  his  food. 

When  the  man  had  cooked  his  food  and  eaten  it 
and  thus  appeased  his  hunger,  the  Great  Spirit 
told  him  that  cold  winds  and  rains  would  come, 


INDIAN    LEGENDS   AND    TALES.  221 

and  that  he  must  make  himself  some  clothing  to 
protect  his  limbs  from  them;  and  he  taught  him 
how  to  make  a  garment  from  the  skin  of  the  deer 
which  he  had  killed. 

The  Great  Spirit  also  put  a  string  of  wampum 
round  his  neck,  saying  to  him  as  he  did  so,  "This 
is  the  badge  of  your  authority  over  all  the  animals 
of  creation." 

The  Great  Spirit  then  disappeared. 

The  Inan,  after  this,  in  rambling  on  through  the 
country,  met  the  beaver.  lie  commanded  the 
beaver  to  submit  to  him,  and  showed  him  the  neck 
lace  of  wampum  which  the  Great  Spirit  had  given 
him  as  the  badge  of  his  authority. 

But  the  beaver,  instead  of  simply  complying 
with  this  demand,  took  the  man  home  with  him  to 
his  lodge.  The  man  was  very  kindly  received  by 
the  beaver's  wife  and  children,  and  he  learned  from 
inspection  of  the  lodge  in  which  they  lived  how  to 
build  a  house  for  himself, 

Very  soon  he  fell  in  love  with  the  beaver's 
daughter,  and  demanded  her  in  marriage.  His  de 
mand  was  acceded  to,  and  in  due  time  the  mar 
riage  was  celebrated. 

It  was  a  very  great  wedding.  All  the  birds  in 
the  air  and  all  the  animals  in  the  woods  were  in 
vited  to  it,  and  great  were  the  festivities  and  re- 


222  INDIAN    LEGENDS   AND    TALES. 

joicings.     From   this  union  all  the  races  of  men 
\vere  descended. 

The  narrator  of  the  legend,  by  way  of  giving 
his  authority  for  it  to  the  traveler  who  recorded 
it,  closed  with  these  words: 

"So  it  is  said  by  the  old  people." 

There  is  among  the  other  stories  one  which 
seems  designed  to  illustrate  the  value  of  a  con 
tented  and  happy  disposition. 

OLD   BOREAS    AXD    SIIINGEBISS. 

In  ancient  times  there  was  a  man  named 
Shingebiss.  He  lived  in  a  lodge  wThich  he  had 
built  for  himself  on  the  margin  of  the  water. 

When  the  winter  came  it  was  very  cold. 
Shingebiss  had  four  logs  of  wood,  and  as  the  win 
ter  was  to  be  four  months  long,  he  had  just  one 
log  for  each  month,  and  he  was  consequently 
obliged  to  keep  very  little  fire,  so  as  to  burn  his 
logs  very  slowly,  in  order  to  make  them  last  until 
the  spring. 

He  had  nothing  for  food  but  the  fish  which  he 
could  catch  in  the  stream.  But  the  stream  was 
frozen  over  so  hard  that  it  was  impossible  to  break 
through  the  ice.  He,  however,  looked  about  and 


INDIAN    LEGENDS   AND    TALES.  223 

found  openings  or  weak  places  where  the  flags  and 
rushes  grew,  and  through  these  openings  he  caught 
his  fish.  When  the  fish  were  caught  he  dragged 
them  homo  across  the  ice,  strung  together  upon  a 
string. 

At  last  old  Boreas*  saw  him  and  said  to  himself, 
"  This  man  is  as  contented  and  happy  in  this  cold 
season  as  if  it  were  June.  He  seems  1o  despise 
me.  I'll  go  and  pay  him  a  visit,  and  see  what  I 
can  do  to  make  him  feel  my  power." 

So  old  Boreas  went  to  Shingebiss'  lodge,  and 
entering  in,  he  took  his  seat  by  the  door.  He 
found  Shingebiss  lying  down  before  his  fire  singing 
a  song. 

Old  Boreas  blew  upon  him  and  made  him  very 
cold  on  the  side  that  was  turned  away  from  the 
fire.  So  Shingebiss  turned  first  one  side  and  then 
the  other  to  the  fire,  but  still  went  on  singing  his 
song. 

T^en  old  Boreas  went  out  upon  the  stream  and 
froze  up  all  the  openings  which  the  flags  and  rushes 
had  made. 

"Now,"'  said  he  to  himself,  when  he  had  done 
this,  "ha  can  get  no  fishes,  and  will  starve." 

But  Shingebiss  did  not  despair.     He  continued 

*  The  name  in  the  original  is  the  Indian  name  for  the  north 
wind. 


224  INDIAN   LEGENDS   AND   TALES. 

his  search  upon  the  ice  till  he  found  new  openings, 
and  by  patience  and  perseverance  he  broke  open 
those  that  Boreas  had  closed  up,  and  so  caught 
more  fishes  ;  and  when  he  had  caught  them  he 
dragged  them  home  to  his  lodge,  over  the  ice,  as 
happy  as  ever. 

"  He  must  be  helped  by  the  Great  Spirit,"  said 
old  Boreas.  "  I  can  neither  freeze  him  nor  starve 
him.  I  will  let  him  alone." 

There  is  a  love  story,  which  shows  that  the  in 
stincts  and  sentiments  of  woman  were  the  same  in 
those  rude  states  of  society  as  among  the  most 
highly  civilized  nations  on  the  globe.  It  is  as 
follows : 

THE   STORY   OF   A5IPATA. 

Ampata  was  the  wife  of  a  brave  young  warrior. 
She  had  two  children.  She  lived  for  a  time  with 
her  husband  and  children  in  great  happiness. 
Sometimes  their  home  was  on  the  prairie,  some 
times  they  built  their  wigwam  in  the  forest  near 
the  banks  of  a  stream.  Ampata  used  to  paddle 
her  canoe  up  and  down  the  rivers  in  search  of  bul 
rushes  for  mats,  or  bark  for  her  wigwam,  or  fuel 
for  her  fire.  In  summer  they  lived  in  open 
ground,  but  in  the  winter  they  chose  a  more  shel- 


INDIAN    LEJElsDa   AND    TALES.  225 

tcred  position  on  the  margin  of  a  wood,  where  it 
opened  toward  the  sun.  Thus  their  lives  flowed 
on  very  smoothly  and  happily. 

Ampata's  husband  gradually  increased  in  in 
fluence  in  his  tribe,  until  finally  he  came  to  be  a 
chief.  This  filled  Ampata's  heart  with  pride  and 
joy,  and  she  loved  her  husband  more  than  ever. 

But  the  increased  rank  and  importance  to  which 
her  husband  attained,  as  Ampata  soon  Discovered, 
interfered  very  much  with  the  domestic  peace  and 
quietness  which  they  had  before  enjoyed.  He 
ii  >w  became  a  public  man.  His  wigwam  was 
n.lway.3  filled  with  visitors,  and  as  his  consequence 
in  the  nation  increased,  his  ambition,  instead  of 
being  satisfied,  became  excited  more  and  more. 
At  length,  in  order  to  widen  and  extend  his  influ 
ence,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  taking  a  second  wife, 
the  daughter  of  a  noted  chieftain  who  lived 
near. 

When  Ampata  heard  this  she  was  greatly 
alarmed.  She  remonstrated  with  her  husband, 
but  he  would  not  listen  to  her.  It  would  give 
him  greater  influence  in  the  tribe  to  marry  another 
wife,  he  said,  and  marry  her  he  would. 

Ampata  immediately  resolved  that  she  would 
not  stay  in  the  lodge  to  be  thus  humiliated  by  her 
husband.  Accordingly,  before  he  brought  his  new 
10* 


226  INDIAN    LEGENDS   AND    TALES. 

wife  home,  she  fled,  taking  her  two  children  with 
her,  and  returned  to  her  father's  lodge  almost 
broken-hearted. 

She  remained  with  her  father  and  with  his  con 
nections  during  the  winter,  but  her  grief  and  des 
pondency  were  not  at  all  relieved  by  the  lapse  of 
time.  In  tbe  spring,  when  her  father's  party  were 
coming  down  the  Mississippi  with  the  furs  which 
they  had  taken  during  the  winter,  she  came  with 
them.  She  had  her  two  children  with  her  in  her 
canoe.  When  at  length  the  boats  began  to  draw 
near  to  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony,  and  turned  aside 
at  the  commencement  of  the  rapids  to  go  to  tin 
land,  she  did  not  turn  with  them,  but  pressed  on 
into  the  middle  of  the  stream. 

The  whirl  and  turmoil  of  the  water  became  now 
so  violent  that  the  boat  was  borne  onward  with 
great  speed,  and  the  paddle  was  no  longer  of  any 
avail.  So  Ampata  rose  from  her  seat,  and  holding 
the  paddle  extended  in  her  arms  made  her  farewell 
lament  in  the  following  terms : 

"  It  was  him  only  that  I  loved,  and  I  loved  him 
with  all  my  heart.  It  was  for  him  that  I  prepared 
the  fresh-killed  game,  and  swept  with  boughs  the 
hearth  before  my  wigwam  fire.  It  was  for  him 
that  I  dressed  and  sewed  the  skin  of  the  deer,  and 
embroidered  the  moccasins  that  adorned  his  feet. 


INDIAN    LEGENDS    AND    TALES.  227 

"How  I  waited  in  my  lodge  the  live-long  day 
for  his  return  from  the  chase,  and  how  my  heart 
was  filled  with  joy  when  I  heard  his  footsteps 
coming ! 

"My  heart  was  bound  up  in  him.  He  was  all 
the  world  to  me.  But  he  has  left  me  for  another, 
and  life  is  now  a  burden  which  I  cannot  bear. 
Even  my  children  add  to  my  grief.  I  sec  in  their 
faces  his  image,  and  they  bring  him  continually  to 
my  mind. 

"I  have  prayed  to  the  Great  Spirit  to  take  back 
the  life  that  he  gave,  as  I  do  riot  desire  it  any 
longer,  and  I  am  now  on  the  current  by  means  of 
which  he  is  going  to  fulfill  my  prayer.  I  see  the 
white  foam  of  the  water — it  is  my  shroud.  I  hear 
the  roaring  of  the  fall — it  is  my  funeral  song. 
Farewell." 

It  was  too  late  for  her  friends  to  arrest  her 
course.  They  saw  the  canoe  enter  the  foam  ;  they 
saw  it.  poise  itself  for  a  moment  on  the  brink  of  the 
cataract,  and  then  it  disappeared  in  the  awful  abyss 
below. 

The  story  concludes  by  saying  that  sometimes 
now,  the  benighted  traveler,  standing  at  midnight 
on  the  shores  of  the  river,  sees  by  the  light  of  the 
moonbeams,  in  the  openings  of  the  mist  and  spray, 
the  form  of  Ampata's  canoe  just  ready  to  take  the 


228  INDIAN    LEGENDS    AND    TALES. 

fearful  plunge.  It  appears  tliero  for  a  moment  on 
the  brink,  and  then  the  mist  closing  over  it  shuts 
it  out  from  view. 

This  story  of  the  poor,  disappointed,  and  for 
saken  wife  may  have  been  true,  precisely  as  it  is 
here  related.  The  next  is  of  a  very  different  char 
acter,  being  an  old  tradition  of  a  very  decidedly 
marvelous  type.  It  explains  how  it  happens  that 
the  dormouse  is  so  small. 

TRAP    SET   FOE   CATCHING   THE    SUN. 

In  former  times,  when  the  animals  that  lived  on 
the  earth  were  more  powerful  than  men,  they 
killed  and  devoured  all  but  two  persons — a  girl  and 
her  little  brother.  These  two  made  their  escape, 
and,  flying  far  away  into  the  forests,  they  lived 
there  in  a  secret  place,  in  great  fear. 

The  girl  was  the  oldest  of  the  two,  the  boy  being 
so  small  that  he  was  utterly  helpless.  A  big  bird 
might  have  flown  away  with  him.  The  girl  took 
all  the  care  of  providing  food  for  both,  but  when 
she  went  into  the  woods  to  get  food  or  fuel  she 
always  took  her  little  brother  with  her,  for  he  was 
too  small  to  be  left  alone. 

At  last  she  made  him  a  bow  and  arrow  of  a  size 
adapted  to  his  strength,  and  when  she  went  next 
into  the  woods  she  said  to  him  : 


INDIAN   LEGENDS   AND    TALES. 


229 


c '  "When  I  have  done  chopping  in  the  woods  and 
am  ready  to  go  home,  I  will  leave  you  behind  a 
little  while  with  your  bow  and  arrow,  to  shoot  little 
snow  birds  that  come  to  pick  up  the  worms  that 
drop  out  of  the  wood  that  I  have  been  chopping." 


THE    CHILI)    AND    THE    SNOW    151 K US. 


So  she  left  him  in  the  woods  and  wrent  home. 
He  staid  and  did  his  best  to  kill  the  snow  birds, 
but  he  did  not  succeed. 

When  he  came  home  he  looked  disappointed  and 
discouraged,  but  his  sister  told  him  that  he  must 
not  despair. 


230  INDIAN    LEGENDS   AND    TALES. 

"You  must  try  again  to-] 
The  next  day  she  left  him  in  the  woods  again,  and 
toward  nightfall  she  heard  his  little  footsteps  on 
the  snow,  outside  the  lodge,  as  he  was  coming 
home.  When  he  came  in  he  threw  down  a  snow 
bird  that  he  had  killed,  and  seemed  very  much 
pleased. 

His  sister  cut  the  bird  in  two  and  used  it,  half 
one  day  and  half  the  next,  to  season  the  broth  or 
porridge  which  she  made  for  supper. 

After  a  time  the  boy  killed  ten  birds,  and  their 
skins,  sewed  together  by  his  sister,  made  him  a 
little  coat. 

He  was  very  much  pleased  with  his  coat,  but 
one  day  having  lain  down  in  the  sun  and  gone  to 
sleep  in  a  place  where  the  snow  had  been  melted 
away  and  the  ground  was  dry,  the  sun  singed  his 
coat  and  made  it  shrink,  so  that  when  he  woke  up 
it  was  too  tight  for  him. 

He  was  very  angry  with  the  sun  for  this,  and 
he  declared  he  would  set  a  snare  for  him  and 
catch  him,  to  prevent  his  doing  such  mischief  any 
more.  He  asked  his  sister  to  make  him  a  cord. 

After  several  trials  she  succeeded  in  making  a 
cord  that  he  thought  would  do,  and  so  he  set  out 
one  night  a  little  after  midnight  and  went  through 
the  woods  to  a  place  where  the  sun  rose.  He 


INDIAN    LEGENDS   AND    TALES.  231 

made  a  slip  noose  in  one  end  of  his  cord,  and  then 
set  it  slyly  in  the  trees,  in  the  place  where  the  sun 
was  to  come  up. 

He  succeeded  very  well  in  his  design.  The 
sun,  in  coming  up  through  the  trees,  got  caught  in 
the  noose,  and  his  beams  became  so  entangled  in  it 
that  he  could  not  rise. 

The  animals  in  the  forests  were  all  very  much 
frightened  when  they  found  that  it  continued  dark 
that  day.  They  ran  to  and  fro  and  made  great 
inquiry,  and  at  last  they  found  out  what  the  diffi 
culty  was.  The  sun  had  been  caught  in  a  snare. 

At  first  they  did  not  know  what  to  do.  They 
soon  concluded,  however,  that  the  only  remedy 
was  for  them  to  send  some  gnawing  animals  to 
gnaw  off  the  noose.  But  none  dared  to  go  for  fear 
of  being  burnt  to  death  by  the  sun. 

At  last,  however,  the  animal  now  called  a  dor 
mouse,  which  was  then  the  largest  gnawing  animal 
existing,  was  persuaded  to  go.  He  was  selected 
because,  being  large,  he  would  be  better  able,  they 
thought,  to  endure  the  heat.  So  he  went  and 
gnawed  off  the  noose  and  set  the  sun  free  ;  but  he. 
was  so  dreadfully  burnt  in  the  operation  that,  when 
he  returned,  from  being  the  largest  it  was  found 
that  he  had  become  the  smallest  animal  of  all. 
There  was  very  little  left  of  him. 


232       INDIAN  LEGENDS  AND  TALES. 

And  that  is  the  reason  why  the  dormouse  is  now 
so  small. 

This  storj  suggests  another  legend  in  which  the 
incident  of  the  sun  being  caught  in  a  trap  occurs 
in  a  somewhat  different  form.  The  story  is  one 
which  a  French  Catholic  missionary  learned  from 
an  Indian  tribe  upon  the  banks  of  the  St.  Law 
rence,  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago.  In 
respect  to  the  state  of  intellectual  development  to 
which  it  is  adapted,  it  stands  very  nearly  on  a 
level  with  the  English  nursery  tale  of  Jack  and 
the  Beanstalk,  which,  indeed,  in  some  respects,  it 
closely  resembles. 


HUNTING   IN   HEAVEN. 

There  was  once  a  man  and  woman  traveling 
together  in  the  woods,  when  suddenly  they  were 
set  upon  by  wild  beasts.  The  man  was  seized  and 
devoured  by  a  bear.  The  woman  was  also  in  the 
same  manner  eaten  up  by  another  monstrous  ani 
mal.  But  their  little  child,  who  was  just  then 
born,  the  wild  beasts  left  untouched. 

A  woman  passing  by  a  short  time  afterward  saw 
the  child  lying  alone  in  the  woods,  and  was  very 
much  astonished  at  the  sight.  She  wondered 
where  its  parents  could  be,  but  on  looking  all 


INDIAN  LEGENDS  AND  TALES      233 

around  and  seeing  nothing  of  them,  she  took  the 
child  and  carried  it  home  to  her  lodge. 

The  boy  lived,  but  he  did  not  grow.  He  in 
creased  marvelously  in  strength,  it  is  true,  but  not 
in  sizo ;  so  that,  although  he  remained  to  all  ap 
pearance  a  child,  he  became  strong  enough  to  root 
up  great  trees,  and  to  perform  other  marvelous  ex 
ploits.  His  name  was  an  Indian  word  sounding  as 
much  as  possible  like  Jackabeck. 

The  first  thing  that  he  undertook  was  to  seek 
out  and  attack  the  monstrous  beasts  which  had 
devoured  his  father  and  mother.  He  found  them 
and  killed  them  both,  and  he  identified  them  as  the 
real  devourers  of  his  parents  by  finding  his  father's 
beard  in  the  stomach  of  one,  and  his  mother's  hair 
in  that  of  the  other. 

In  addition  to  his  great  strength  he  was  pos 
sessed  of  a  certain  mysterious  power,  through 
which  whatever  he  blew  upon  was  changed  by  some 
sort  of  magic,  just  as  he  wished. 

After  a  while  he  felt  a  desire  to  go  to  heaven 
to  see  what  there  was  there.  So  he  began  to 
climb  a  tall  tree,  and  when  he  got  to  the  top  of  it 
he  blew  upon  it,  and  that  made  it  shoot  out  and 
grow  up  higher.  He  climbed  up  to  the  top  again 
and  then  blew  as  before,  and  so  on  continually. 


234  INDIAN   LEGENDS   AND    TALES. 

He  thus  mounted  higher  and  higher,  until  at  last 
he  ascended  into  heaven. 

He  found  here  a  delightful  country,  with  green 
fields  and  pretty  trees  and  flowers,  and  every  thing 
charming.  After  walking  all  about  the  place  ho 
returned  to  the  tree  and  began  to  descend  it.  in 
tending  to  tell  the  story  of  what  he  had  seen  to  his 
sister — for  it  seems  he  now  had  a  sister — and  bring 
her  up  with  him  to  heaven,  in  order  that  they 
might  live  there  for  ever. 

As  he  came  down  the  tree  he  stopped  occasion 
ally  by  the  way  to  build  wigwams  in  the  branches, 
as  places  of  rest  for  himself  and  sister  in  as 
cending. 

When  he  had  reached  the  ground  and  had  re 
lated  to  his  sister  what  he  had  seen,  she  was  at 
first  very  unwilling  to  go  with  him,  being  afraid  to 
attempt  to  climb  such  a  tall  tree.  But  she  was  at 
last  persuaded  to  make  the  attempt,  and  they  set 
out  together. 

This  sister  had  a  little  nephew  whom  she  con 
cluded  to  take  with  her  in  the  ascent,  and  they  all 
three  "began  to  climb  the  tree.  The  sister  and  her 
little  nephew  went  first,  and  Jackabeck  came  on 
after  them,  in  order  to  catch  them  if  they  should 
chance  to  fall. 

Thus  they  went  on  up  the   tree,  and  whenever 


INDIAN    LEGENDS    AND    TALES.  235 

they  were  tired  of  climbing  they  stopped  to  rest  at 
the  wigwams  which  Jackabeck  had  made  among 
the  branches  in  coming  down. 

After  they  had  arrived  at  the  top,  in  order  to 
prevent  any  other  persons  from  coming  up  after 
them,  Jackabeck  reached  down  and  broke  off  the 
stem  of  the  tree  as  low  as  he  could. 

After  admiring  the  beauties  of  the  country  for  a 
time  with  his  sister,  and  congratulating  each  other 
on  their  safe  and  happy  arrival  in  it,  Jackabeck 
went  off  into  the  woods  to  set  traps,  as  lie  had  been 
accustomed  to  do  on  the  earth  below,  in  hopes  to 
catcli  some  animals. 

Very  early  the  next  morning  he  went  to  visit 
his  traps  to  see  what  he  had  caught.  As  he  drew 
near  one  of  them  he  saw  in  it  a  great  glowing  ball 
of  fire.  It  was  so  bright  and  so  hot  that  Jacka 
beck  did  not  dare  to  go  near  it.  So  he  ran  back 
to  his  sister  to  inform  her  of  this  prodigy. 

"  Sister,"  said  he,  "  there  is  a  big  fire  in  one 
of  my  traps,  so  fierce  and  hot  that  I  do  not  dare 
to  go  near  it." 

"Ah!  Jackabeck,"  said  his  sister,  "you  must 
have  caught  the  sun.  He  was  wandering  about 
undoubtedly  in  the  night,  and  has  fallen  into  one 
of  your  traps.  Go  and  let  him  out  as  quick  as 
you  can." 


236  INDIAN   LEGENDS   AND    TALES. 

So  Jackabeck  went  back,  but  he  found  the  sun 
so  hot  and  dazzling  that  he  could  not  get  near 
enough  to  let  him  out  of  the  trap.  He  was  greatl y 
at  a  loss  what  to  do;  but  presently  on  looking 
around  him  he  found  a  little  mouse,  and  he  blew 
upon  him  and  made  him  so  large  and  strong  that 
he  could  go  to  the  trap  and  open  it  in  some  way 
so  as  to  let  the  sun  go  free. 

The  sun  was  detained  so  long,  however,  by  this 
accident  that  he  failed  to  rise  that  day  on  earth, 
and  so  the  people  lost  a  day  and  spent  their  time 
during  the  interval  in  darkness,  wondering  what 
had  happened  to  the  sun. 

The  story  that  follows,  it  is  supposed,  may  have 
been  intended  to  present  to  the  Indian  belles  the 
example  of  a  species  of  mistake  which  is  often 
exemplified  in  tales  written  for  young  ladies  in 
civilized  life,  namely,  that  of  acting  in  a  spirit  of 
proud  and  disdainful  coquetry  toward  an  honest 
lover,  and  so,  as  the  proverb  expresses  it,  going 
further  and  faring  worse.  It  is  as  follows : 

THE   STORY    OF   MOOWIS. 

There  lived  in  a  certain  village  an  Indian  girl 
who  was  distinguished  for  her  grace  and  beauty, 
and  was  the  admiration  of  all  the  young  hunters 


INDIAN    LEGENDS   AND    TALES.  287 

and  warriors  of  the  tribe.  Indeed,  she  was  quite 
a  belle. 

Among  her  admirers  there  was  a  very  worthy 
and  much  respected  young  man,  who  went  to  visit 
her  one  day,  with  the  intention  of  asking  her  hand. 
I  will  call  him  Ma-mon,  that  being  a  portion  of  his 
name.  The  belle,  instead  of  receiving  kindly  Ma- 
mon's  well  intended  attempts  to  please  her,  and 
giving  him  a  respectful  and  proper  answer,  turned 
away  from  him  in  disdain,  and  dismissed  him  with 
a  peculiar  gesture,  which,  according  to  the  Indian 
customs,  was  expressive  of  the  utmost  contempt. 
The  young  man  went  away  very  deeply  wounded. 

He  was  indeed  so  sensitive,  and  his  mind  was  so 
much  disturbed  by  this  insult,  that  he  could  not 
recover  from  the  effects  of  it.  He  was  the  more 
deeply  and  permanently  affected  by  it  from  the 
fact  that  the  insult  was  put  upon  him  in  the 
presence  of  others,  so  that  the  affair  was  noised 
abroad  throughout  the  village,  and  became  the 
common  talk  of  the  young  men  of  the  tribe. 

At  last  the  sense  of  shame  and  vexation  so 
preyed  upon  him  that  he  lost  his  health  and 
strength,  and  almost  his  reason.  He  would  lie 
upon  his  mat  in  his  lodge  all  day  long,  silent,  de 
jected,  and  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  vacancy.  He 
would  take  little  or  no  food.  No  efforts  could 


238      INDIAN  LEGENDS  AND  TALES. 

rouse  him  from  this  condition.  He  felt  abashed 
and  dishonored  even  in  the  presence  of  his  rela 
tives  and  best  friends,  and  no  persuasions  could 
induce  him  to  rise. 

At  length  the  time  arrived  when  the  family  to 
which  he  belonged  were  to  take  down  the  lodge,  in 
order  to  remove  to  another  station ;  but  still  he 
would  not  get  up.  So  they  took  down  the  lodge 
from  over  his  head,  and  left  him  there  lying  on  his 
couch  in  the  open  air. 

It  was  early  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  and  the 
ground  was  covered  with  snow,  but  the  snow  was 
hard,  as  is  usual  at  that  season,  so  that  the  party 
could  travel  upon  it,  their  feet  making  a  crackling 
noise  as  they  walked  along  over  the  frozen  sur 
face.  The  young  man  remained  on  his  couch  until 
the  last  sound  of  the  departing  footsteps  died  upon 
his  ear,  and  then  he  arose. 

The  ground  that  the  encampment  had  occupied 
was  covered  with  remnants  and  fragments  of  all 
kinds,  which  had  been  left  there  by  the  families 
which  had  occupied  it.  There  were  bits  of 
soiled  cloth,  worn  and  tattered  garments,  draggled 
feathers,  and  old  abandoned  ornaments  of  all  sorts, 
some  lying  on  the  frozen  ground,  and  some 
trampled  into  the  snow. 


INDIAN    LEGENDS    AND    TALES.  239 

At  the  sight  of  all  this  finery  Ma-mon  con 
ceived  a  plan  of  revenge. 

"She  thinks  more  of  the  dress  than  the  man," 
said  he  to  himself,  "  and  I  will  make  her  a  hus 
band  that  will  please  her." 

So  he  began  to  collect  the  old  garments  together, 
and  after  putting  them  in  proper  form  he  filled 
them  with  earth  and  snow,  which  he  pressed  firmly 
in,  and  thus  finally  produced  the  figure  of  a  man. 
This  figure  he  decorated  with  old  beads,  feathers, 
and  other  things  which  he  found  upon  the  ground, 
and  which,  by  some  sort  of  magic,  he  redeemed 
from  their  damaged  condition  and  restored  to  their 
pristine  beauty.  The  man.  too,  when  he  was 
finished,  was  endowed  with  the  power  of  life  and 
motion,  though  his  body  and  limbs  still  consisted 
of  nothing  but  frozen  mud  and  snow. 

Ma-mon  put  a  bow  and  a  quiver  of  arrows  in 
the  image's  hand,  and  then  ordered  it  to  follow 
him.  He  gave  it  the  name  of  Moowis. 

Ma-mon  now  went  on  with  Moowis  to  the  new 
encampment  of  the  tribe.  When  they  arrived 
there  Moowis  attracted  great  attention.  So  well 
formed  a  man  and  one  dressed  so  very  elegantly 
had  seldom  been  seen.  No  one  was  more  pleased 
with  him  than  the  belle.  She  fell  in  love  with 
him  at  first  sight,  and  invited  him  to  her 


240  INDIAN    LEGENDS    AND    TALES. 

mother's  lodge,  where  he  was  received  with  much 
honor. 

Among  other  marks  of  attention  they  assigned 
the  stranger  a  place  very  near  the  fire.  But 
Moowis  was  afraid  to  take  this  place  for  fear  that 
he  might  be  melted  by  the  warmth,  and  so,  not 
withstanding  the  urgency  of  their  invitations,  he 
insisted  on  remaining  near  the  door. 

This  only  increased  the  belle's  admiration  for 
him,  as  she  considered  it  a  proof  of  his  great  hardi 
hood  and  power  of  endurance;  and  these  are 
qualities  which,  next  to  courage,  the  Indian  dam 
sels  most  highly  prize  in  their  lovers. 

But  we  must  not  make  the  story  too  long.  The 
belle  accepted  Moowis  as  her  lover,  and  they  were 
married.  Very  soon  after  the  ceremony  was  per 
formed  Moowis  said  that  he  must  go  away  for  a 
time,  for  there  was  a  journey  that  he  must  take. 
His  bride  said  that  she  would  go  with  him.  Ho 
attempted  to  discourage  her,  but  she  was  not  will 
ing  to  be  left. 

So  he  set  out  upon  his  journey,  his  bride,  ac 
cording  to  the  Indian  custom  in  the  case  of  man 
and  wife,  following  him  at  a  little  distance.  He 
went  on  at  a  very  rapid  rate.  She  tried  very 
hard  to  keep  up  with  him,  but  she  found  it 
extremely  difficult  to  do  so.  She  called  to  hnn 


INDIAN    LEGENDS   AND    TALES.  241 

incessantly  to  wait  for  her,  but  he  paid  no  heed  to 
her  cries. 

Soon,  too,  the  sun  came  up  and  Moowis  began 
to  melt  away.  The  feathers  and  beads  and  other 
ornaments  began,  one  after  another,  to  drop  off 
from  him  to  the  ground,  and,  as  they  fell,  they  re 
turned  to  their  original  soiled  and  tattered  con 
dition.  Still  the  bride  pressed  on,  following  her 
flying  husband  over  rocks  and  windfalls,  and 
through  all  sorts  of  rough  and  marshy  ground. 
She  called  incessantly  to  him  and  looked  for  him 
everywhere,  but  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen 
along  the  path  where  he  had  gone  but  rags,  bones, 
old  worn-out  skins,  broken  beads,  soiled  feathers, 
and  remnants  of  torn  and  tattered  garments. 
The  bride  wandered  on  past  all  these  things, 
calling  continually  to  her  husband  and  crying  that 
she  was  lost,  until  at  length  she  became  perfectly 
bewildered  and  wholly  uncertain  which  way  to  go. 
She  however  continued  to  wander  about  in  her 
despair,  and  is  wandering  still,  singing  all  the  time 
a  mournful  song,  in  which  she  calls  continually  to 
Moowis,  saying  that  she  is  lost,  and  begging  him 
to  come  and  save  her. 


OLD   RED   HEAD. 

In  ancient  times  there  was  a  famous  chieftain 
11 


242  INDIAN    LEGENDS   AND    TALES. 

named  Old  Red  Head,  who  was  so  violent  and 
lawless  in  his  life  and  character,  and  was  so  great 
a  robber  and  murderer,  that  he  was  feared  by  the 
whole  country  around.  He  lived  on  an  island  in  a 
lake,  and  he  had  a  boat  with  which  he  used  to 
communicate  with  the  shore. 

He  was  so  much  dreaded  by  the  people  of  the 
country  on  account  of  his  great  strength  and  fero 
city,  that  even  his  name  became  a  bugbear,  and  a 
great  many  designs  were  formed  and  plans  laid  for 
killing  him.  But  thus  far  none  had  succeeded. 

Not  far  from  the  lake  where  Old  Red  Head 
lived  there  was  a  family  that  consisted  of  a  man 
and  his  wife,  and  a  boy  about  fifteen  years  old. 

One  evening,  when  the  man  had  been  out  all  day 
hunting,  he  came  home  to  the  lodge,  bringing  a  deer. 
He  was  very  tired  and  very  hungry.  His  wife 
began  to  prepare  the  deer  for  supper,  and  while 
she  was  doing  it  she  asked  the  boy  to  go  down  by 
a  path  through  the  woods  to  the  river  and  bring 
some  water, 

But  it  was  dark  and  the  boy  said  that  he  did 
not  like  to  go.  The  father,  when  he  heard  this, 
accused  his  son  of  cowardice,  and  said,  in  a  sneering 
and  contemptuous  manner  : 

"I  don't  think  you  will  ever  kill  Old  Red 
Head." 


INDIAN    LEGENDS    AND    TALES.  243 

This  taunt  stung  the  boy  to  his  inmost  soul. 
II  j  said  nothing,  but  he  felt  very  deeply  wounded. 
All  that  night  he  lay  revolving  in  his  mind  what 
he  should  do. 

The  next  morning  he  asked  his  mother  to  make 
him  a  pair  of  moccasins  from  the  skin  of  the  deer 
which  his  father  had  killed.  While  she  was  doiii" 

O 

this  he  went  into  the  woods  and  made  himself  a 
bow  and  four  arrows. 

The  next  morning  after  this  he  rose  before  sun 
rise,  and  putting  on  his  moccasins  and  taking  his 
bow  and  arrows  in  his  hands,  he  went  out  and  shot 
one  of  his  arrows  into  the  air.  It  went  up  very 
high.  He  observed  which  way  it  inclined  as  it 
ascended,  and  then  walked  off  through  the  woods 
in  that  direction,  intending  to  go  to  the  spot  where 
it  would  come  down. 

He  traveled  on  all  day  long,  and  at  night  he 
came  to  the  arrow.  He  found  that  it  had  fallen 
upon  a  deer  and  killed  him.  The  boy  cut  off  as 
much  of  the  flesh  of  the  deer  as  he  required,  ate 
his  supper  from  it,  and  then  lay  down  and  went  to 
sleep. 

The  next  morning  he  rose  early  and  shot  another 
arrow  into  the  air.  He  followed  this  arrow,  as  he 
had  the  other,  and  found  this  one,  too,  at  night  in 
a  deer  which  it  had  killed.  He  made  his  supper 


244  INDIAN   LEGENDS  AND   TALES. 

from  the  flesh  of  this  second  deer,  and  then,  being 
fatigued  with  his  long  march,  he  lay  down  and  went 
to  sleep  again. 

He  did  the  same  the  third  day  and  the  fourth 
day.  His  arrows  were  then  all  expended.  On 
the  fifth  day  he  wandered  about  without  any  food, 
and  not  knowing  what  to  do.  At  last  he  became 
exhausted  with  hunger  and  fatigue.  He  sank 
down  upon  the  ground,  and  thought  that  he 
should  die. 

While  he  was  thus  lying  upon  the  ground  in 
despair,  he  heard  a  strange  sound  approaching  him, 
and  raising  his  eyes  he  saw  a  well  beaten  path 
leading  from  the  margin  of  some  water  to  a  cabin 
which  was  very  near  him,  and  which  he  had  not 
observed  before,  and  up  this  path  a  strange  looking 
old  woman  was  coming,  thumping  her  stick  upon 
the  ground  as  she  came.  She  wore  a  sort  of  cloak, 
which  was  made  of  the  scalps  of  women,  and  to 
the  top  of  her  staff  a  number  of  birds  were  fastened 
by  means  of  strings  tied  to  their  feet.  These  birds 
fluttered  over  the  old  woman's  head  as  she  walked 
along,  and  continued  singing  all  the  time. 

The  woman  went  into  her  cabin  and  took  off  her 
cloak.  As  she  took  it  off  she  shook  it,  and  as  she 
did  so  sounds  of  loud  and  continued  laughter  came 
from  the  scalps  of  which  it  was  made.  These 


INDIAN   LEGENDS   AND    TALES.  245 

sounds  continued  until  she  had  put  the  cloak 
away. 

The  old  woman  then  came  out  of  the  cabin  and 
advanced  to  the  place  where  the  boy  was  lying. 
She  accosted  him  kindly,  and  raising  him  up,  led 
him  into  her  cabin  and  gave  him  some  food. 

Encouraged  by  her  kindness  the  boy  told  her  his 
story.  He  gave  her  an  account  of  what  had  taken 
place  in  his  father's  lodge,  of  his  father's  cutting 
sarcasm,  and  of  his  having  left  home  on  account 
of  it. 

She  listened  attentively,  and  when  he  had 
finished  she  told  him  that  he  must  not  take  what 
his  father  had  said  to  him  too  much  to  heart. 

•''  Be  of  good  cheer."  said  she.  "  You  shall 
kill  old  Red  Head,  and  I  will  show  you  how  to 
do  it." 

So  she  made  the  dress  of  a  girl  for  him,  and 
fashioned  him  a  great  many  beautiful  ornaments. 
She  put  the  dress  upon  him  and  also  the  orna 
ments.  There  were  feathers  for  his  hair  and 
bracelets  for  his  arms,  and  a  necklace  of  beads  and 
a  girdle.  In  the  girdle  she  placed  a  blade  of 
grass  of  a  certain  kind,  which  was  pretty  broad 
and  stiff,  and  sharp  at  the  edges. 

"  Now,"  said  the  old  woman  when  the  boy  was 
ready,  "you  look  like  a  beautiful  girl." 


246  INDIAN   LEGENDS   AND    TALES. 

So  she  directed  him  which  way  to  go,  and  told 
him  that  he  must  journey  on  by  that  way  until 
he  came  to  the  shore  of  Red  Head's  lake,  opposite 
the  island. 

"  There,"  said  she,  "you  will  find  a  great  many 
young  men.  who  will  fall  in  love  with  you,  and 
want  to  marry  you.  But  you  must  tell  them  that 
you  are  determined  not  to  marry  anybody  but 
Red  Head  himself,  and  that  if  he  will  not  come  for 
you  in  his  canoe,  and  take  you  to  his  island,  you 
will  go  back  again  to  your  home. 

"  When  he  comes  you  must  go  with  him  and 
marry  him,  and  then  after  the  marriage  you  must 
seize  the  first  opportunity  to  cut  off  his  head  with 
the  blade  of  grass." 

So  the  boy,  dressed  thus  in  the  guise  of  a  girl, 
went  on  in  the  direction  which  the  old  woman  had 
pointed  out  to  him,  till  he  came  to  the  shore  of 
Red  Head's  lake.  There  everything  occurred 
just  as  the  old  woman  had  predicted.  The  young 
men  came  around  the  supposed  damsel  and  wished 
to  marry  her.  She  refused  them  all,  and  said  that 
she  would  marry  no  one  but  Red  Head  himself, 
and  that  unless  he  would  come  to  the  shore  for  her 
in  his  canoe  she  would  go  back  again  to  her 
home. 

When  this  was  made  known  to  Red   IJead  he 


INDIAN    LEGENDS   AND    TALES.  247 

determined  to  come  to  the  shore  for  the  girl.  So 
he  caused  his  boat  to  be  brought  out.  The  frame 
of  this  boat  was  made  of  living  rattlesnakes,  and 
they,  by  some  sort  of  magic,  were  endowed  with 
the  power  of  knowing  when  anybody  came  into  the 
boat  with  any  evil  or  treacherous  designs  against 
their  master,  and  of  signifying  it  by  hisses  and 
contortions. 

Accordingly,  when  the  pretended  girl  embarked 
on  board  the  boat,  they  began  all  to  hiss,  and  to 
writhe  and  twist  about  in  the  most  horrible  manner. 
But  Red  Head  was  so  captivated  with  the  beauty 
of  his  prize  that  he  would  not  heed  their  warnings. 
He  went  on  with  the  boy  to  his  island. 

There,  after  meeting  with  various  adventures 
and  several  narrow  escapes  from  detection  which 
cannot  here  be  detailed,  the  boy  succeeded  in  dis 
sipating  all  Red  Head's  suspicions,  if  he  ever  had 
any,  and  the  marriage  ceremony  was  performed. 
A  great  concourse  of  people  came  to  attend  the 
wedding.  Immediately  afterward,  or  as  soon  as 
the  new  married  pair  wrere  alone,  the  boy  took  Old 
Red  Head's  head  in  his  lap,  as  he  reclined  on  the 
ground  by  his  side,  and  drawing  out  the  sharp- 
edged  blade  of  grass  from  his  girdle,  he  cut  it  off 
by  a  single  stroke. 

He  then  made  his  escape,  taking  the  head  with 
11* 


248  INDIAN   LEGENDS   AND    TALES. 

him.  He  carried  it  first  to  the  old  woman's  cabin 
to  show  it  to  her,  and  then  went  with  it  home  to 
his  father's — his  heart  filled  with  pride  and  exulta 
tion. 

He  was  received  with  every  mark  of  considera 
tion  and  honor  by  his  family  and  tribe,  and  con 
tinued  to  enjoy  great  renown  as  long  as  he  lived 
as  the  slayer  of  Old  Red  Head. 

HOW   ALGON   GAINED   HIS   WIFE. 

Algon  was  a  very  brave  and  handsome  young 
hunter.  One  day  when  he  was  roaming  over  the 
plains  in  search  of  game  he  suddenly  came  to  a 
well-worn  circular  track  in  the  grass,  with  no  path 
leading  to  it  from  any  quarter. 

This  seemed  to  him  a  strange  sight.  How  could 
such  a  track  be  made  without  people  to  make  it  ? 
And  how  could  people  come  to  make  it  without 
leaving  any  signs  of  a  path,  or  even  of  footsteps,  in 
the  grass  where  they  came  ? 

While  he  was  pondering  on  this  mystery  he 
heard  a  rushing  sound  in  the  air,  as  of  a  great  bird 
flying,  and  looking  UD  he  saw  a  large  wicker  bas 
ket  descending,  with  twelve  beautiful  maidens  in 
it.  He  stepped  back  into  the  thicket,  where  he 
could  conceal  himself  from  sight,  and  remained 
there  watching. 


INDIAN   LEGENDS    AND    TALES.  249 

The  basket  or  car  containing  the  twelve  girls 
came  gently  descending  toward  the  ground,  being 
let  down  by  cords  from  above.  As  soon  as  it 
reached  the  ground  the  girls  leaped  out,  and  all 
immediately  went  to  the  ring  and  began  dancing 
about  it  in  a  charming  manner. 

Algon  watched  them  as  they  danced,  and  finally 
fixed  his  eyes  and  his  heart  upon  the  youngest  of 
them,  who  seemed  to  him  to  be  the  most  beautiful 
of  them  all.  He  came  forth  from  his  thicket  in 
tending  to  seize  her,  but  as  soon  as  the  maidens 
saw  him  they  seemed  exceedingly  terrified.  They 
all  with  one  accord  sprang  for  the  basket,  and, 
climbing  into  it  as  nimbly  as  possible,  they  were 
drawn  up  again  into  the  sky  and  disappeared. 

The  next  day  Algon  went  again  to  the  place 
where  he  had  seen  the  ring,  in  order  to  watch  for 
the  coming  of  the  girls — expecting  to  see  them  de 
scend,  as  on  the  preceding  day,  from  the  sky. 

This  time,  however,  instead  of  going  in  his  own 
proper  form,  he  changed  himself  into  an  opossum, 
a  very  curious  and  artful  animal  which  hides  cun 
ningly  among  the  branches  of  a  tree.  In  this 
guise  he  took  his  place  in  a  tree  near  the  ring. 
Before  long  he  saw  the  basket  coming  down  out  of 
the  sky.  When  it  reached  the  earth  the  girls  de 
scended  from  it  and  began  to  'lince  again,  but 


250  INDIAN    LEGENDS   AND    TALES. 

before  Algon  had  time  to  come  down  from  his  tree 
and  go  toward  them  the  youngest  of  the  girls 
spied  him  and  gave  the  alarm,  and  the  whole  bevy 
immediately  sprang  to  their  basket,  climbed  into  it 
as  nimbly  as  they  had  done  before,  and  were  drawn 
up  into  the  sky  again. 

The  next  day  Algon  determined  to  go  once 
more,  but  now  he  concluded  to  change  into  a 
smaller  animal  than  the  opossum,  in  order  the 
more  easily  to  escape  observation.  This  time  he 
resolved  to  be  a  mouse. 

So  when  he  reached  the  place  where  the  ring 
was  formed,  he  looked  about  in  the  thickets  near, 
and  presently  found  a  piece  of  the  hollow  root  of 
a  tree  lying  upon  the  ground,  with  a  nest  of  mice 
in  it.  He  took  up  the  piece  of  root,  nest,  mice  and 
all,  and  carried  it  out  of  the  thicket  to  the  ring, 
and  there  laid  it  down  upon  the  grass  near  the  out 
side  of  the  ring.  Then  he  changed  himself  into  a 
mouse,  and  took  his  place  with  the  others  in  the  nest. 

He  had  not  been  there  long  before  he  saw  the 
basket  coming  down  out  of  the  sky  as  before. 
The  girls  stepped  out  of  it  and  came  toward  the 
ring.  One  of  them  saw  the  fragment  of  the  root 
upon  the  ground. 

"Ah!"  said  she,  "what  is  this?  This  was 
not  here  before." 


INDIAN    LEGENDS   AND    TALES.  251 

So  they  all  stopped  and  looked  at  the  root, 
and  then  began  to  pull  it  to  pieces.  At  this  the 
mice  all  came  out  of  the  nest,  and  ran  about  upon 
the  ground.  The  girls  immediately  began  to  kill 
them.  At  last  they  killed  all  but  Algon.  He, 
in  order  to  save  himself,  turned  back  into  a 
man. 

The  girls,  when  they  saw  one  of  the  mice  ex 
panding  and  assuming  the  form  of  a  man,  screamed 
and  fled.  In  the  meantime  Algon' s  transformation 
was  complete,  and  he  sprang  after  them.  He 
succeeded  in  seizing  the  youngest,  his  beloved, 
and  in  holding  her,  notwithstanding  her  struggles, 
until  the  others  had  reached  the  basket,  and  had 
gone  off  again  into  the  sky. 

Being  thus  made  captive  the  girl  soon  concluded 
to  resist  Algon 's  love  no  longer,  but  became  his 
wife,  and  the  wedded  pair  lived  for  a  long  time 
together  in  peace  and  happiness. 

A  great  many  other  narratives  of  this  kind 
might  be  given,  but  these  will  be  sufficient. 
They  are  pretty  fair  specimens  of  the  tales  and 
traditions  which  are  related  by  parents  to  children 
around  the  wigwam  fires,  and  so  handed  down 
from  generation  to  generation. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

CONSTITUTION  AND  CHARACTER  OF  THE  INDIAN  MIND. 

ADAPTATIONS   OBSERVED    IX   THE   FOEMS   OP   A1HMAL   LIFE. 

IN  stocking  the  earth  with  its  living  inhabit 
ants  the  Creator  has  adapted  the  form  and  the 
physical  constitution  of  the  animals  of  each  seve 
ral  species  to  the  character  of  the  locality  which 
they  are  intended  to  inhabit,  and  to  the  mode  of 
life  they  are  to  lead.  In  other  words,  every  being 
is  endowed  with  powers  and  qualities  suited  to  the 
functions  which  he  is  designed  to  fulfill. 

Thus  the  giraffe,  being  appointed  to  feed  on  the 
leaves  of  trees,  is  provided  with  long  legs  and  a 
long  neck,  in  order  to  enable  him  to  reach  his  food, 
and  the  chamois,  having  to  obtain  his  sustenance 
from  grass  growing  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks  and 
on  steep  declivities,  has  hoofs  fitted  expressly  to 
facilitate  climbing,  and  muscles  to  enable  him  to 
lift  himself  up  to  any  shelf  among  the  rocks  that 
he  can  reach,  or  to  let  himself  drop  down  a  descent 
where  any  other  animal  would  be  killed.  Birds 


CONSTITUTION    OF   THE    INDIAN    MIND.         253 

that  are  to  search  for  their  food  along  the  margins 
of  lakes  and  ponds  are  furnished  with  long  wading 
legs  and  near-seeing  eyes;  while  those  appointed 
to  find  and  devour  the  bodies  of  dead  animals, 
wherever  they  may  lie,  over  a  wide  extent  of 
country,  have  eyes  endowed  with  a  most  astonish 
ing  extent  of  vision,  and  wings  of  prodigious 
strength  to  sustain  them  in  the  longest  flights,  and 
to  carry  them  up  to  the  loftiest  pinnacles  of  the 
mountains. 

MENTAL   ADAPTATIONS. 

This  adaptation  of  the  powers  and  faculties  of 
animals  to  the  duties,  so  to  speak,  which  they  are 
destined  to  perform  in  life,  applies  to  their  men 
tal  qualities,  as  well  as  to  those  which  are  more 
purely  corporeal.  A  lamb,  being  intended  to  feed 
on  grass  and  flowers,  is  gentle  in  spirit,  and  is  fur 
nished  with  an  instinct  which  leads  him  to  save 
himself  from  danger  by  running  away  from  his 
foe.  The  tiger,  on  the  other  hand,  is  endowed 
with  a  degree  of  courage  and  of  combative  ardor 
so  great  that  we  call  it  ferocity ;  and  this  simply 
because  he  is  to  live  by  seizing  and  conquering  a 
living  and  resisting  prey.  The  fox,  who  is  to 
feed  upon  timid  animals  that  have  wings  to  fly 
away  from  him,  is  made  cunning,  that  he  may  be 


254  CONSTITUTION    AND    CHARACTER 

enabled  to  catch  them  off  their  guard.  For  him 
simple  strength  would  not  be  sufficient.  So  the 
dog,  who  is  intended  to  gain  his  livelihood  by  the 
services  which  he  renders  to  man,  is  provided  with 
a  mental  constitution  which  leads  him  to  attach 
himself  to  a  human  master,  and  to  remain  faith 
ful  to  him  in  every  extremity  ;  while  other  ani 
mals,  taken  from  their  native  haunts  and  brought 
artificially  into  this  relation,  are  with  difficulty 
retained,  and  on  the  first  favorable  opportunity  fly 
away  into  their  native  woods  again. 

DESIGNS   OF   DIVIXE   PROVIDENCE   IX   RESPECT   TO   MAN. 

Upon  a  principle  somewhat  similar  to  this  the 
different  races  of  men  seem  to  be  endowed  with  dif 
ferent  qualities,  each  being  adapted,  both  in  phys 
ical  and  intellectual  constitution,  to  the  place  it 
has  to  occupy  in  the  history  of  the  species. 

For  some  reason  or  other  wrhich  we  cannot  fully 
understand,  Divine  Providence  has  riot  seen  fit  to 
bring  the  family  of  man  at  once  into  the  full  pos 
session  of  all  the  attainments  and  enjoyments  of 
which  the  species  is  capable,  or  to  the  high  social 
state  for  which  their  nature  fits  them.  On  the 
contrary,  the  system  which  has  been  adopted  for 
the  human  race,  unlike  that  seen  in  operation  in 
respect  to  any  race  of  animals  not  connected  with 


OF   THE    INDIAN   MIND.  255 

man,  is  that  of  an  exceedingly  slow  and  gradual 
development.  The  different  regions  of  the  earth 
have  been  stocked  with  different  branches  of  the 
human  family,  strikingly  dissimilar  to  each  other 
in  their  persons,  in  their  physical  powers,  and  in 
their  mental  constitutions — each,  however,  being 
exactly  adapted  to  the  part  which  they  are  respect 
ively  called  upon  to  perform  in  the  great  drama. 

THE    GRKAT   DIVISIONS    IX   TUB   HUMAN   FAMILY. 

Thus  the  races  of  Central  and  Southern  Asia 
are  endowed  with  very  peculiar  physical  and  men 
tal  powers,  differing  esentially  from  those  of  the 
prevailing  race  in  Europe,  which  is  called  the 
Caucasian  race,  and  both  differing  essentially  also 
from  those  of  the  African  races.  The  differences 
which  exist  would  seem  to  be  innate  and  perma 
nent,  so  far  as  we  can  judge  from  the  results — 
each  particular  branch  being  able  apparently  to 
attain  only  to  a  certain  degree  of  refinement  and 
civilization,  and  these  remaining  unchanged,  or 
almost  unchanged,  for  many  centuries.  The  Chi 
nese,  the  Malays,  and  the  negroes  of  Africa  appear 
to  have  subsisted  in  substantially  their  present 
condition  from  a  very  early  age,  while  the 
Caucasian  race  has  been  constantly  progressive, 
having  built  up  in  succession  a  great  number  of 


250  CONSTITUTION   AND    CHARACTER 

independent  empires.  The  Assyrians,  the  Per 
sians,  the  Greeks,  the  Romans,  and,  following 
them,  the  great  European  nations  of  modern  times, 
have  entirely  outstript  in  arts,  in  science,  and  in 
civilization  all  the  other  races  of  the  globe;  al 
though  many  of  these  other  races  have  possessed, 
each  in  its  own  region  of  the  earth,  equal  facilities 
for  advancement,  and  have  held  them  for  the  same 
length  of  time. 

CONSTITUTIONAL   DIVERSITIES. 

We  must  suppose,  then,  that  there  is  a  great 
and  permanent  difference  in  the  physical  and  intel 
lectual  constitution  of  the  different  races — perma 
nent  at  least  in  this  respect,  that  it  cannot  be 
changed  by  any  human  means  in  the  course  of  any 
moderate  number  of  generations.  Whether  these 
differences  have  been  produced  by  external  causes, 
such  as  climate  and  modes  of  life,  or  by  some  hid 
den  innate  causes  more  or  less  connected  with 
these,  or  whether  they  have  originated  in  some 
other  way  to  us  wholly  inscrutable,  is  at  present 
entirely  unknown.  We  must,  at  any  rate,  accept 
the  difference  actually  existing  as  a  fact,  and  con 
form  our  reasonings  and  our  action  to  it — always 
acknowledging,  however,  that  the  inferiority  of  any 
race  to  ours,  if  we  claim  that  such  inferiority 


OF    THE    INDIAN    MIND.  257 

exists,  imposes  upon  us  a  special  obligation  to  be 
just  toward  them,  and  to  protect  them  in  the  en 
joyment  of  all  their  rights,  instead  of  giving  us 
tiny  authority  to  tyrannize  over  them  or  oppress 
them  in  any  way.  We  may  rightfully  recognize 
and  act  upon  our  superiority  to  them  in  the  social 
arrangements  which  we  make,  but  we  are  bound  in 
doing  so  to  consider  them  as  under  our  protection, 
and  to  guard  their  rights  and  provide  for  their 
welfare  and  happiness  faithfully,  honestly,  and 
with  feelings  of  sincere  good  will. 

MENTAL   AND    PHYSICAL    CONSTITUTION  OF   THE    AMERICAN 
ABORIGINES. 

The  American  Aborigines  have  been  generally 
considered  by  mankind  as  a  stern,  taciturn,  im 
movable,  unfeeling,  and  yet  shrewd  and  cunning 
people.  Some  travelers,  like  the  celebrated  Catlin, 
among  others,  who  spent  a  great  deal  of  time 
among  the  western  tribes,  maintain  that  the  degree 
in  which  they  possess  these  qualities  has  been  ex 
aggerated.  Catl in  found  the  Indians  at  their 
own  homes,  in  tiie  villages  which  they  had  built  on 
the  banks  of  the  Missouri  and  upon  the  western 
prairies,  as  jovial,  as  talkative,  and  as  full  of  life 
and  animation  as  other  men.  But  the  prevailing 
testimony,  especially  in  respect  to  those  tribes  that 


258  CONSTITUTION   AND    CHARACTER 

dwelt  on  the  Atlantic  coast  at  the  time  of  the 
first  settlement  of  the  country,  represents  them  as 
exceedingly  grave  and  stolid  in  all  their  deport 
ment,  and  possessing  very  little  sensibility  of  any 
kind.  Their  power  to  endure  hunger,  cold,  and 
fatigue  was  surprising.  This  power  was  doubtless, 
in  a  great  degree,  acquired  by  habit,  and  much  of 
their  apparent  insensibility  was  due  to  a  feeling 
prevalent  among  them  that  it  was  weak  and  un 
manly  to  complain.  Still  there  seemed  to  be 
something  in  their  physical  constitution  which 
gave  them  a  greater  power  of  endurance  than 
belongs  to  the  Caucasian  race.  They  felt  cold  and 
hunger,  and  the  p-.iin  of  wounds,  much  less,  and 
could  consequently  endure  much  more,  with  the 
same  exercise  of  fortitude,  than  other  men. 

Indeed,  we  might  have  been  almost  certain  that 
this  would  be  so.  The  same  kind  and  watchful 
Providence  which  gives  the  eagle  his  astonishing 
extent  of  vision,  in  order  that  he  may  have  power 
to  survey  the  vast  field  over  which  he  is  to  seek 
his  food,  and  enables  the  polar  bear  to  sleep  in 
comfort  on  a  floor  of  ice  where  mercury  would 
freeze,  would  surely  not  impart  a  delicate  sensi 
bility  to  the  organization  of  a  man  who  was  to  live 
by  seeking  his  food  in  the  winter  in  a  howling 
forest,  with  a  certainty  of  often  passing  days  with- 


OP   THE    INDIAN    MIND.  259 

out  sustenance,  and  nights  without  any  covering 
but  bushes  and  snow. 

THE   TACITURNITY   OF   THE   INDIANS. 

The  extreme  taciturnity  of  the  Indians  was  one 
of  their  most  striking  characteristics.  We  shall 
explain  it  in  different  ways  according  as  we  sup 
pose,  that  the  Indian  was  made  to  fit  the  circum 
stances  in  which  he  was  to  bo  placed,  or  that  he 
was  made  like  other  men,  and  that  the  circum 
stances  changed  him.  On  the  Litter  supposition 
he  has  learned  to  be  silent,  from  the  fact  that 
silence  is  so  necessary  for  him  while  prowling 
through  the  woods  in  search  of  game,  or  watching 
against  an  ambuscade  on  the  part  of  an  enemy. 

But  talkativeness  is  the  result  of  a  peculiar 
mental  organization,  leading  to  a  lively  and  rapid 
flow  of  ideas,  ardent  sensibilities,  and  a  quick  and 
ready  action  of  the  nerves  and  muscles  that  are 
connected  with  the  organs  of  speech.  All  this  nice 
mechanism  would  be  out  of  place,  in  a  great  meas 
ure,  with  these  children  of  the  forest ;  and,  indeed, 
it  would  be  worse  than  out  of  place,  for  it  might 
be,  necessarily  for  aught  we  know,  connected  with 
a  greater  sensibility  to  pain,  which  to  the  Indian 
would  be  a  very  serious  evil. 

We  might  suppose,  it  is  true,  that  the  inward 


260  CONSTITUTION    AND    CHARACTER 

mechanism  was  with  him,  at  birth,  the  same  in  re 
spect  to  these  faculties  as  in  the  Caucasian  race, 
but  that,  on  account  of  the  mode  of  life  which  the 
Indian  leads,  it  remained  undeveloped.  This  is, 
doubtless,  to  some  extent,  true.  But  it  would 
seem  that  the  Indian  children  manifest  from  their 
earliest  infancy  the  same  low  degree  of  sensibility, 
giving  them  the  power  of  bearing  without  inconve 
nience,  or  at  least  without  pain,  what  would  be  in 
tolerable  to  the  children  of  another  race,  which 
characterizes  their  fathers  and  mothers.  The  chil 
dren  seldom  cry.  They  remain  patient,  strapped 
upon  their  board,  looking  quietly  about,  and  con 
tent  apparently  with  existence  alone ;  while  a  white 
child  of  the  same  age  is  endowed  with  powers  of 
observation  and  with  mental  instincts  and  propen 
sities  so  sensitive  and  active  that  it  craves  the  in 
cessant  occupation  of  its  faculties,  and  scarcely 
ever  intermits  his  restless  activity. 

Where  we  find  peculiarities  of  temperament  thus 
showing  themselves  at  the  earliest  age,  and  con 
tinuing  to  mark  the  character  and  conduct  under 
all  circumstances  to  the  end  of  life,  it  would  seem 
that  we  are  entitled  to  conclude  that  they  are  in 
nate,  and,  in  the  individual  at  least,  are  not  the 
result  of  climate  or  of  education,  or  of  any  other 
outward  causes. 


OF   THE    INDIAN    MIND.  261 


CRUELTY. 


The  American  Indians,  like  all  other  savages, 
were  extremely  cruel  in  the  treatment  of  prison 
ers  captured  in  war.  They  took  great  delight  in 
torturing  them,  and  often  burnt  them  alive. 
Whether  any  palliation  for  these  enormities  can  be 
derived  from  the  fact  that  such  inflictions  produced 
a  less  exquisite  pain  in  sufferers  of  their  race  than 
they  would  have  done  in  ours,  we  will  not  under 
take  to  say.  At  any  rate,  it  is  known  that  prison 
ers  subjected  to  such  treatment  bore  their  tortures 
with  most  astonishing  fortitude.  Sometimes,  in 
deed,  such  suffering  was  voluntarily  incurred, 
under  the  impulse  of  some  exalted  sentiment  of 
generosity,  or  other  strong  emotion. 

THE    FATHER   DYING    FOR   HIS    SON. 

An  account  is  given  of  an  Indian  who  belonged 
to  a  tribe  that  was  involved  in  some  quarrel  with 
a  neighboring  tribe,  and  one  day  when  he  came 
home  from  his  hunting  he  found  his  wife  in  a  state 
of  extreme  anguish  and  terror  from  the  fact  that  a 
party  of  the  enemy  had  come  suddenly  upon  the 
wigwam  during  the  absence  of  the  father,  and  had 
made  a  prisoner  of  the  oldest  son,  and  carried  him 
away. 


262  CONSTITUTION   AND    CHARACTER 

The  father  immediately  bade  his  wife  farewell, 
and  putting  himself  upon  the  trail  of  the  hostile 
party  he  followed  them  with  the  utmost  diligence. 
He  knew  that  the  destiny  of  the  poor  prisoner  was 
most  assuredly  to  be  tortured  to  death  by  fire,  and 
he  was  going  to  offer  himself  for  this  sacrifice,  in 
order  to  obtain  the  ransom  of  his  child. 

He  came  up  with  the  party  of  the  enemy  just  as 
they  were  making  preparations  to  enjoy  their  cruel 
revenge.  He  approached  them  with  a  signal  which 
was  equivalent  to  a  flag  of  truce  in  civilized  war 
fare,  and  offered  himself  as  a  substitute  for  his  son. 
"My  poor  boy,"  said  he,  "  is  just  entering  upon 
life.  Do  not  cut  him  off  so  prematurely  from  the 
enjoyment  of  it.  He  is  vigorous  arid  strong,  too, 
and  is  the  hope  of  his  mother,  and  he  will  be,  for 
many  years,  the  stay  and  support  of  the  family. 
But  I  am  old  and  infirm.  My  work  will  soon  be 
done,  and  I  am  of  little  value  to  my  wTife  and  chil 
dren.  But  I  am  just  as  good  to  be  burned  alive 
for  your  revenge  as  he.;j 

This,  or  something  equivalent  to  this,  the  old 
man  said  to  his  savage  enemies.  They  acknowl 
edged  the  propriety  of  the  proposal,  and  made  the 
exchange.  They  unbound  the  young  man  and 
gave  him  his  liberty.  The  father  sent  him  away, 
charging  him  to  go  home  and  take  care  of  his 


OF   THE    INDIAN   MIND.  263 

mother  and  of  the  children,  and  then  gave  himself 
up  to  be  burnt  to  death  by  a  process  protracted  as 
long  as  possible,  while  his  enemies  feasted  and 
danced  around  the  fire. 


THE   PRACTICE   OF   SCALPING. 


The  practice  which  prevailed  among  all  the 
native  tribes  of  North  America  of  taking  off  the 
scalps  of  enemies  slain  in  battle,  and  preserving 
them  as  trophies  of  victory,  has  generally  been 
considered  a  special  token  of  the  barbarous  cruelty 
of  the  Indian  character.  The  practice,  it  is  true, 
presents  a  most  shocking  image  to  our  imaginations, 
yet,  when  we  reflect  upon  it,  it  does  not  seem  to 
denote  any  special  and  peculiar  cruelty.  It  is 
barbarous,  without  doubt,  yet  still  perhaps  not 
specially  and  peculiarly  so. 

ORIGIN   OF   THE   PRACTICE. 

The  practice  arose  very  naturally  from  the  cus 
tom  that  prevails  universally  among  all  hunting 
savages,  and  indeed  among  all  hunting  men, 
whether  savage  or  civilized,  of  obtaining  from  the 
body  of  the  animal  slain  something  to  be  preserved 
as  a  trophy  of  the  prowess  of  the  hunter  in  killing 
him.  A  barbarous  hunter  wears  the  trophies  thus 
obtained  upon  his  person.  A  civilized  one  hangs 


264  CONSTITUTION   AND    CHARACTER 

them  up  in  his  hall.  That  seems  to  be  the  chief 
difference  between  barbarism  and  civilization  in  this 
respect. 

The  Indians  made  their  dresses  of  the  skins  of 
animals  that  they  had  killed ;  and  the  fiercer  and 
more  furious. the  beast  that  furnished  the  material, 
the  more  distinguished  and  glorious  was  the  attire. 

There  were  many  parts  of  the  bodies  of  these 
animals  that  were  used  in  this  way.  Skins  were 
made  into  quivers,  moccasins,  leggins  and  robes. 
Horns  were  used  in  head-dresses;  bones  were 
worked  into  beads  and  ornaments  of  every  kind ; 
and  long  hair,  dyed  of  various  colors,  was  formed 
into  fringes  to  decorate  the  borders  of  garments. 
There  was  a  particular  species  of  eagle  called  the 
war-eagle,  on  account  of  his  strength  and  fierce 
ness,  whose  feathers  were  prized  above  all  others 
for  purposes  of  dress  and  decoration. 

From  this  practice  of  taking  the  skin,  the  horns, 
the  hair,  or  the  feathers  of  animals  slain  in  the 
chase  as  trophies  to  be  used  as  articles  of  dress  or 
ornament,  it  is  but  a  single  step  to  that  of  preserv 
ing  a  portion  of  the  long  hair  of  an  enemy  slain  in 
battle  for  the  same  purpose ;  and  when  the  man 
was  dead  there  was  no  special  cruelty  in  taking  a 
portion  of  the  skin  with  the  hair.  Not  that  we  are 
to  suppose  that  the  Indians  could  have  any  feeling 


OF   THE    INDIAN    MIND.  265 

that  would  lead  them  to  defer  taking  a  scalp  till 
after  death  from  motives  of  humanity,  but  only 
that  in  ordinary  cases  they  would  be  compelled  to 
do  so.  It  would,  of  course,  be  very  seldom  that  a 
scalp  could  be  taken  from  a  victim  while  he  was 
alive. 

CUSTOMS   CONNECTED    WITH   THE    PRACTICE    OF   SCALPING. 

The  portion  of  the  skin  which  was  taken  from 
the  head  in  scalping  an  enemy  was  quite  small, 
only  a  few  inches  in  diameter.  All  that  was 
essential  was  that  it  should  include  the  crown  of 
the  head — that  is,  the  central  point  from  which  the 
hair  separates.  The  hair  itself,  however,  which 
grew  from  the  other  parts  of  the  head  was  usually 
cut  off  too,  especially  if  it  was  long,  and  suitable  to 
be  worked  into  fringes  and  other  such  ornaments. 

A  scalp;  when  taken  from  the  head,  was  first 
stretched  in  a  sort  of  hoop  to  keep  the  skin  dis 
tended  while  drying.  This  hoop  was  formed  upon 
the  end  of  a  long  pole  by  bending  the  end  round 
into  a  circle,  first  cutting  away  a  portion  of  the 
wood  at  the  end  to  make  it  sufficiently  flexible. 
The  scalp  was  placed  in  the  center  of  this  hoop, 
and  fastened  there  by  strings  passing  out  in  every 
direction  to  the  circumference  —  the  long  hair 
hanging  down  the  pole.  The  pole  served,  of 


266  CONSTITUTION   AND    CHARACTER 

course,  for  a  handle  by  which  the  trophy  could  be 
borne  in  a  conspicuous  and  triumphant  manner. 

There  were  certain  ceremonies  to  be  performed 
with  the  fresh  scalps  as  soon  as  the  party  taking 
them  had  reached  home,  by  way  of  public  recogni 
tion  of  them  as  warlike  trophies.  These  cere 
monies  consisted  of  feas tings  and  rejoicings,  accom 
panied  with  songs  and  dances — that  is,  if  such 
wailing  and  unearthly  succession  of  sounds  as  they 
made  could  be  called  songs,  or  their  horrid  con 
tortions  and  gesticulation  dances.  When  these 
ceremonies  were  completed  the  scalps  were  consid 
ered  as  duly  consecrated,  and  were  thenceforth 
preserved  with  great  care  in  the  wigwam,  or  worn 
upon  the  person,  as  badges  of  the  highest  distinc 
tion  and  honor. 

TREATMENT   OF   WOMEX. 

The  Indians  have  been  accused  of  treating  their 
women  as  slaves,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
women  were  always  held  by  them  in  a  state  of 
very  complete  and  absolute  subordination  to  the 
men.  They  were  employed  all  the  time  in  arduous 
labors,  but  this  was  a  matter  of  necessity,  for  the 
continual  toil  of  both  men  and  women  was  in  most 
cases  necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  the  family. 
The  woman  had  the  house  to  put  up  and  take 


OF    THE    INDIAN    MIND.  267 

down,  the  mats  and  clothing  to  make,  fuel  to  bring 
for  the  fire,  and  the  fieLl  to  till. 

But  all  this  probably  made  no  more  than  her 
fair  proportion  of  toil  and  exposure,  when  we  con 
sider  the  sufferings  and  danger  and  fatigue  which 
fell  to  the  lot  of  the  husband  in  his  hunting  arid 
fishing  expeditions.  The  privations  which  the  men 
sometimes  endured  in  their  long  tramps  through 
the  forests,  especially  amid  the  snows  and  storms 
and  intense  cold  which  reigned  in  all  the  northern 
forests  for  so  large  a  portion  of  the  year,  were  in 
describably  great,  especially  since  the  indomitable 
pride  of  the  hunter  often  prevented  his  returning 
home,  however  urgent  his  own  personal  necessities 
might  be,  without  having  first  obtained  his  game. 
Instances  have  been  known  of  the  Indians  wander 
ing  in  the  woods  until  they  have  become  perfectly 
exhausted,  and  of  their  then  lying  down  and 'perish 
ing  with  hunger,  rather  than  go  home  to  a  starving 
family,  without  the  means  of  supplying  them  with 
food. 


POLYGAMY. 


Polygamy  prevailed  to  some  extent  among  the 
Indian  tribes.  Of  course,  since  the  number  of  the 
sexes  is  everywhere  so  nearly  equal,  this  practice 
can  never  Le  carried  to  any  very  great  extent  in 


268  CONSTITUTION   AND    CHARACTER 

any  human  community,  even  if  there  were  no 
natural  instincts  in  the  heart  to  war  against  it. 
There  was  no  law  among  the  Indians  restricting 

o  o 

men  to  a  single  wife,  and  prominent  personages, 
such  as  great  warriors  and  chieftains,  often  accord 
ingly  possessed  themselves  of  more  than  one.  The 
motive  which  influenced  them,  however,  in  these 
cases  was  not,  as  it  would  seem,  a  sensual  one,  but 
rather  a  desire  to  extend  their  influence  by  con 
necting  themselves  with  powerful  families,  and  to 
aggrandize  themselves  in  the  estimation  of  the  com 
munity  by  enlarging  their  domestic  establishment. 
The  practice,  however,  being  in  violation  of  the 
natural  instincts  of  man  and  the  essential  laws  of 
his  constitution,  led  generally  to  domestic  disquiet 
and  suffering,  and  sometimes  to  catastrophes  which 
would  have  comported  well  with  the  strength  of 
the  sentiment  of  jealousy  in  the  heart  of  the  most 
civilized  woman. 

INTELLECTUAL   SUPERIORITY   OF   THE   CAUCASIAN   RACE. 

We  are  surprised  sometimes,  it  is  true,  at  the 
ingenuity  which  the  Indians  exhibited  in  some  of 
their  inventions,  and  it  is,  indeed,  in  some  sense 
wonderful  that  with  materials  and  implements  so 
imperfect  they  could  manufacture  such  efficient 
weapons  and  c£  rry  out  such  curious  contriv- 


OF   THE    INDIAN    MIND.  269 

ances.  But,  after  all,  when  we  come  to  compare 
a  bark  canoe,  perfect  as  it  is  in  its  way,  with  one 
of  the  ocean  steam-ships  of  the  Caucasian  race,  or 
the  best  made  stone-tipped  arrow  ever  shot  at  a 
moose  or  a  buffalo,  with  the  double-barreled  rifled 
carabines  carrying  an  explosive  bullet,  with  which 
a  French  hunter  lies  in  wait  for  an  African  lion, 
we  learn  the  immense  distance  which  separates  the 
powers  and  attainments  of  the  two  races  from  each 
other.  We  must  remember,  too.  that  the  contriv 
ances  which  we  find  Indians  now  using,  and  which 
we  think  so  ingenious,  are  not  the  inventions  of 
the  individuals  that  we  see  using  them,  nor  even 
of  the  generation  now  upon  the  stage.  They  are 
the  results  of  the  combined  ingenuity  of  a  hundred 
generations  !  It  is  somewhat  the  same,  it  is  true, 
with  our  inventions  ;  but  with  us,  riot  only  are  the 
results  infinitely  greater,  but  the  work  is  still 
going  on  with  a  steadiness  and  rapidity  of  progress 
almost  inconceivable.  There  is  doubtless  more 
real  invention  exercised,  and  a  greater  number  of 
new  and  ingenious  contrivances  originated  and  per 
fected  every  single  year,  in  any  one  of  ten  thousand 
machine  shops  and  manufactories  now  in  operation 
in  America,  than  the  Indians  can  produce  as  the 
result  of  the  accumulated  efforts  of  all  the  genera- 


270  CONSTITUTION   AND    CHARACTER 

tions  of  their  race,  from  their  earliest  arrival  upon 
these  shores  to  the  present  time. 

THE   TWO   GREAT   MEAN'S    OF   CIYILIZ  A.TIOX. 

But  whatever  we  may  think  of  the  intellectual 
inferiority  of  the  Indian  race,  the  slowness  of  their 
progress  in  the  arts  of  life  was  not  due  wholly  to 
that  cause.  There  are  two  great  essential  ele 
ments  without  which  civilization  con  never  make 
any  rapid  progress,  or  attain  to  any  great  height, 
in  any  nation.  These  two  elements  are  iron,  and 
the  art  of  writing.  With  the  possession  of  iron  to 
make  implements  and  tools,  one  man,  it  is  found, 
can  produce  the  food  of  ten,  thus  leaving  the  other 
four  of  the  half  of  the  community  that  we  may 
suppose  to  be  able-bodied,  to  be  employed  in  other 
occupations.  It  is  in  consequence  of  this  release 
of  so  large  a  portion  of  the  community  from  the 
labor  of  procuring  food,  through  the  aid  afforded 
by  iron,  that  arts  and  inventions  arise.  Whereas, 
without  iron,  it  requires  five  men  to  produce  the 
food  of  ten,  and  the  other  five  consist  of  the  very 
young,  the  very  old,  the  sick  and  the  infirm.  So 
that,  without  iron,  nearly  the  whole  available 
strength  of  the  community  is  required  for  the  pro 
duction  of  food,  the  surplus  that  remains  being 
barely  sufficient  to  provide,  in  the  simplest  possible 


OF   THE    INDIAN   MIND.  271 

way,  for  the  demands  of  nature  in  respect  to  shel 
ter  and  clothing. 

Again,  with  the  art  of  writing  the  progress 
made  in  each  separate  generation  is  recorded,  and 
thus  the  goal  attained  in  one  age  becomes  the 
starting  point  in  the  next.  It  follows  from  this 
that  a  race  that  possesses  the  art  of  writing  may 
be  decisively  progressive,  but  one  which  is  without 
that  art  can  only  be  so  in  a  very  limited  degree. 
In  this  latter  case  the  greatest  part  of  what  any 
one  genius  discovers  or  learns  dies  with  him,  and 
the  next  genius  that  arises  must  commence  the 
work  anew.  Thus  the  nation,  even  if  it  is  always 
rising,  is  always  sinking  back  again  to  where  it 
was  before.  Nothing  but  the  art  of  writing,  to 
provide  each  generation  with  the  means  of  record 
ing  what  it  has  discovered,  will  enable  it  to  keep 
its  hold  and  go  on  continually  ascending. 

The  Indians  accordingly,  being  without  this  art, 
made  no  advance  whatever.  If  they  did  not  even 
retrograde,  they  lived  from  generation  to  genera 
tion  the  same. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    COMING     OF     THE     EUROPEANS. 
GREAT   CHANGES  PRODUCED. 

THE  coming  of  the  Europeans  to  this  country 
brought  new  races  not  only  of  men,  but  also  of 
plants  and  animals,  into  contact  and  connection 
with  those  previously  existing  here.  The  result 
-was  that,  in  the  course  of  two  centuries,  immense 
changes  were  produced  in  the  occupancy  of  the 
country,  new  and  higher  forms  that  were  intro 
duced  from  the  old  world  superseding  and  dis 
placing  the  inferior  and  more  imperfect  ones  which 
before  had  possession  of  the  new. 

CHANGES   IN   RESPECT   TO   ANIMAL   LIFE. 

Some  of  the  more  remarkable  of  these  changes 
are  well  known.  Others  equally  interesting,  in  a 
philosophical  point  of  view,  but  leading  to  results 
less  conspicuous,  have  not  attracted  so  much  atten 
tion.  One  very  striking  case  is  that  of  the  horse. 
Certain  animals  of  this  species  escaped  from  the 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS.     273 

Spaniards  in  Mexico  and  Peru — very  likely  a 
small  number  at  first.  They  found  the  region 
around  them  producing  plenty  of  grass,  and  the 
climate  mild  and  summer-like  through  the  whole 
year.  Of  course,  they  required  no  care  on  the 
part  of  man,  and  began  soon  to  multiply  with 
great  rapidity ;  and  now,  after  the  lapse  of  three 
hundred  years,  herds  of  them  cover  the  prairies 
and  plains  of  the  middle  and  southern  regions  of 
America  in  countless  millions,  and,  of  course, 
other  animals,  'that  before  occupied  the  same 
grounds  and  fed  upon  the  same  herbage,  have  been 
displaced  by  them  and  have  disappeared. 

It  is  somewhat  so  with  the  cow.  Wild  cattle, 
originally  introduced  into  the  country  by  coloni 
zing  companies  from  Spain,  now  throng  the  South 
American  plains  in  such  numbers  that  they  are 
hunted  and  slain  by  hundreds  of  thousands  every 
year  for  the  sake  of  the  hides.  And  still  the  num 
bers  are  increasing. 

The  bovine  races  of  Europe,  however,  have  not 
been  able  to  spread  in  a  wild  state  northwardly 
into  the  prairies  of  North  America,  on  account 
perhaps  of  the  fact  that  the  buff.ilo,  a  superior 
animal  of  the  same  kind — superior  in  respect  to 
strength  and  ability  to  maintain  his  ground — has 
possession  already.  Nor  were  they  or  the  horses 


274  THE   COMING    OF   THE   EUROPEANS. 

able,  unaided  by  man,  to  occupy  the  northern  re 
gions  on  the  Atlantic ;  for  although  these  regions 
were  well  adapted  to  produce  their  peculiar  food, 
the  winters  were  too  long  and  cold  for  such  ani 
mals  to  live  through  them  without  artificial  aid. 
With  this  aid,  however,  they  can  do  it,  and  thus, 
under  the  fostering  charge  of  man,  the  green  mea 
dows  and  hill-sides,  extending  over  many  thou 
sands  of  square  miles  between  the  lakes  and  the 
sea,  have  been  covered  with  flocks  of  sheep  and 
herds  of  horses  and  cows,  while  the  bear  and  the 
moose  that  -formerly  had  possession  of  them  have 
passed  away.  A  few  lingering  specimens  only 
remain  to  roam  in  solitude  within  the  narrow 
limits  left  to  them,  and  to  wonder  where  their 
companions  can  have  gone. 

CHANGES   IN"    RESPECT   TO   PLANTS. 

Changes  corresponding  to  these  have  taken  place 
on  a  vast  scale  in  the  vegetable  kingdom.  Multi 
tudes  of  plants  that  were  introduced  into  America 
by  the  European  colonists,  either  accidentally  or 
by  design,  have  since  that  time  become  very 
widely  extended  here,  and  have  extirpated  or  dis 
placed,  to  a  corresponding  degree,  the  original 
occupants  of  the  soil.  These  changes  have  taken 
place  sometimes  with  and  sometimes  without  tho 


THE    COMING    OF   THE    EUROPEANS.  275 

aid  of  man.  One  of  the  most  striking  examples  of 
the  former  class  is  that  of  the  grasses  and  the 
cereal  grains,  such  as  wheat  and  rye,  which  now 
cover  millions  and  millions  of  acres  through  all  the 
central  regions  of  the  continent,  where  formerly 
brakes  and  bullrushes  and  wild  wood-flowers,  bar 
ren  and  useless,  had  complete  possession. 

It  is  well  that  this  should  be  so.  Such  changes 
are  in  fulfillment  of  the  beneficent  designs  formed 
by  the  author  of  nature  for  the  gradual  improve 
ment  of  the  condition  of  the  earth,  and  the  ad 
vancement  of  it,  in  respect  to  its  o^capants,  from, 
lower  to  higher  and  nobler  forms  of  life. 

CHANGES    IN   THE    RACES   OF   MEN". 

A  change  exactly  analogous  to  these  has  taken 
place  in  respect  to  man.  The  aboriginal  inhabit 
ants  of  the  country  were  of  races  formed  with  con 
stitutions,  both  physical  and  mental,  adapting  them 
to  obtain  their  livelihood  by  fishing  and  the  chase — 
modes  of  life  by  means  of  which  North  America 
might  sustain  perhaps  twenty  or  thirty  millions  of 
inhabitants.  The  Caucasian  race,  which  was  in 
troduced  from  Europe,  is  endowed  with  consti 
tutions  adapting  them  to  gain  their  livelihood  by 
agriculture,  commerce,  arid  the  manufacturing 
arts,  a  mode  of  life  by  which  the  same  territory 


276     THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS. 

is  capable  of  supporting  many  hundred  millions — 
we  know  not  Low  many.  Under  these  circum 
stances  it  was  as  inevitable,  and  as  much  in  fulfill 
ment  of  the  designs  of  divine  Providence,  that  the 
old  races  should  be  supplanted  by  the  new,  as  that 
the  horse  and  the  cow  should  displace  the  alligator 
and  the  elk,  and  brakes  and  bulrushes  yield  their 
native  grounds  to  corn. 

And  such  has  been  the  fact.  It  has  been  esti 
mated  that  at  the  time  America  was  discovered  the 
number  of  Indians  dwelling  within  the  limits  of  the 
United  States  was  about  sixteen  millions.  Of  the 
descendants  of  these  sixteen  millions  only  about 
two  millions  now  remain. 

THE   DISPLACEMENT   OF   ONE    RACE    BY   ANOTHER   NOT   NECES 
SARILY  ATTENDED    WITH   SUFFERING. 

Nor  are  we  to  suppose  that  such  a  change  as 
this,  by  which  a  lower  race  is  supplanted  by  a 
higher  one,  necessarily  implies  any  violence  or 
wrong  on  the  part  of  the  former  against  the  latter, 
or  any  special  suffering.  It  is  the  race  and  not  the 
individuals  that  the  extirpating  process  acts  upon. 
That  is  to  say,  the  effect  is  produced,  not  by  the 
destruction  of  individuals  already  existing,  but  by 
a  diminution  in  the  numbers  born  to  take  the 
places  of  those  ceasing  to  exist  by  natural  causes, 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS.     277 

If  the  various  aboriginal  races  had  always  been, 
and  still  continued  to  be,  tieated  with  the  strictest 
justice  and  the  most  sincere  and  cordial  good  will, 
they  would  have  none  the  less  surely  fulfilled  the 
universal  destiny  of  the  lower  to  give  way  before 
the  higher  forms,  in  the  great  onward  march  of 
organization  and  life  ;  but  the  change  would  have 
come  slowly,  quietly,  and  without  suifering.  In 
deed,  the  very  beings  subject  to  it,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  a  few  far-  seeing  minds  that  might  discover 
it  by  a  special  and  laborious  study  of  the  past 
and  of  the  future,  would  have  been  unconscious 
that  it  was  going  on. 

DIFFICULTIES   THAT   OPPOSED    THE    AMALGAMATION   OF  THE 
TWO    RACES. 

It  might  at  first  be  supposed  that  when  a  supe 
rior  and  an  inferior  race  were  brought  thus  together 
upon  the  same  territory,  a  process  of  amalgama 
tion  would  have  set  in,  by  which,  in  the  end,  they 
would  gradually  be  melted  into  one  •  but  there 
are  very  deep-seated  causes  operating  in  all  such 
cases  to  prevent  such  a  union.  In  the  first  place, 
the  mental  and  physical  constitution  of  the  Indian 
fits  him  specially  for  wandering  as  a  hunter 
through  the  woods,  and  gaining  his  subsistence 
by  the  chase,  and  for  no  other  mode  of  life. 


278     THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS. 

These  qualities  are  innate  and  permanent.  At 
least  they  are  beyond  the  reach  of  auy  means  of 
change  that  can  be  brought  into  operation  in  the 
course  of  any  moderate  number  of  generations. 
The  whole  history  of  the  Indian  tribes  and  of  the 
almost  fruitless  attempts  which  have  been  made  to 
civilize  them,  and  induce  them  to  live  like  white 
men,  proves  this  quite  conclusively.  Missions 
were  established  among  the  Indians  of  New  Eng 
land  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  them  in  the 
arts  of  European  life  and  in  the  truths  of  Christian 
ity,  and  though  for  a  time  very  remarkable  re 
sults  were  produced,  no  radical  or  lasting  change 
was  usually  effected.  As  soon  as  the  external  sup 
port  to  this  new  state  of  things,  and  in  a  certain 
sense  unnatural,  was  withdrawn,  everything  slowly 
but  irresistibly  sank  back  into  its  former  condition, 
and  the  hereditary  instincts  and  propensities  of 
the  race  returned  in  all  their  pristine  vigor. 

In  the  same  manner  the  experiment  has  several 
times  been  made  of  educating  Indian  young  men 
in  the  New  England  colleges,  but  the  pupils  thus 
taught  have,  almost  without  exception,  when  their 
prescribed  course  was  finished,  and  they  were  left 
at  liberty,  as  they  arrived  at  manhood,  to  follow 
the  impulses  and  instincts  of  their  own  hearts,  very 
soon  turned  away  fi-ora  the  arts  and  refinements 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS.     279 

of  life  to  which  they  had  thus  been  ushered,  and 
have  gone  back  into  the  woods,  and  relapsed  hope 
lessly  into  their  former  condition. 

FIXEDNESS   OF   THE   INDIAN   TASTES    AND   HABITS. 

There  are  remnants  of  many  of  the  ancient  tribes 
existing  at  the  present  day  in  various  parts  of  our 
country,  but  they  live  by  themselves,  a  marked 
and  separate  race,  with  nothing  changed  except 
the  external  circumstances  by  which  they  are  sur 
rounded.  They  live  in  huts  still,  as  their  ances 
tors  did  three  hundred  years  ago.  It  is  only  the 
covering  that  is  changed — the  birch  bark,  which 
has  failed,  being  replaced  with  canvass,  or  with 
slabs  obtained  from  the  white  men.  They  sit  upon 
the  ground  around  their  wigwam  fire,  just  as  of 
old,  and  are  occupied  in  the  same  species  of  em 
ployment,  only  that  they  make  baskets  instead  of 
canoes,  and  bows  and  arrows  to  sell  as  toys,  or  to 
be  used  by  children  in  shooting  at  coppers  for  a 
prize,  instead  of  for  the  service  of  hunters  in  the 
chase.  Even  their  garments  retain  in  a  great 
measure  the  forms  of  the  old  national  costume, 
though  made  now  of  blankets  and  calico,  instead 
of  the  skins  of  beasts,  and  adorned  witli  glass 
beads  instead  of  wampum.  They  come  with  the 
wares  which  they  make  to  sell  into  the  white 


280 


TUB  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS. 


man's  kitchen,  where  they  are  kindly  entertained, 
and  whero  they  have  every  opportunity  to  observe 
the  conveniences  and  the  comforts  which  civiliza 
tion  affords,  but  no  kindling  desire  is  awakened 
in  their  minds  to  imitate  or  share  them.  Silent, 
patient,  impassible,  they  witness  the  advance  of 


ESSENTIALLY    UNCHAXOET). 


the  mighty  wave  which  sweeps  on  so  irresistibly 
over  and  around  them,  apparently  without  any 
regret  for  the  past,  or  any  emotion,  either  of  hope 
or  fear,  in  respect  to  the  future.  And  thus  in  the 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS.     281 

heart  of  a  country  changing  and  advancing  more 
rapidly  than  any  other,  they  alone  remain,  from 
generation  to  generation,  wholly  unchanged. 

There  are  descendants  from  Indians  residing  in 
certain  portions  of  the  Southern  States  that  have 
adopted  a  settled  mode  of  life,  and  have  attained 
to  a  considerable  degree  of  refinement  and  civili 
zation,  but  in  general,  even  among  these,  the  de 
gree  in  which  they  manifest  the  capacities  of  the 
Caucasian  race  corresponds  very  nearly  to  the  pro 
portion  of  Caucasian  blood  that  flows  in  their 
veins. 

PRESENT   CONDITION   OF   THE    WESTERN   TRIBES. 

In  the  interior  and  western  portions  of  the  con 
tinent  are  vast  tracts  of  land  which  remain  almost 
entirely  in  possession  of  Indians ;  and  although  the 
United  States  government  exercises  a  general 
jurisdiction  over  the  whole  country,  still  there  are 
extended  territories  reserved  for  the  exclusive  oc 
cupancy  of  the  native  tribes.  Within  these  reser 
vations  the  tribes  live  in  their  own  way,  pursuing 
such  modes  of  life  and  maintaining  such  systems 
of  government  as  they  themselves  choose.  This 
state  of  things  has  continued  for  more  than  a  cen- 

O 

tury,  without  any  essential  change  taking  place  in 
the  Indian  habits  or  character.  A  very  considera- 


282    THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS. 

ble  trade  lias  sprung  up,  it  is  true,  between  the 
natives  and  the  whites,  by  which,  in  exchange  for 
skins  and  furs  which  they  obtain  by  trapping  and 
the  chase,  the  former  procure  a  great  many  com 
modities  that  are  produced  by  the  arts  and  manu 
factures  of  civilized  life.  But  the  introduction  of 
these  commodities  among  them  does  not  have  the 
effect  of  changing  their  habits  or  modes  of  life  in 
any  appreciable  degree,  but  rather,  by  facilitating 
the  supply  of  their  wants  and  the  satisfaction  of 
their  desires,  to  fix  and  establish  these  habits  more 
firmly  than  ever.  They  obtain  from  white  men 
horses  and  guns  and  blankets,  and  gaudy  trappings 
and  decorations  of  all  kinds.  But  they  use  all 
these  things  only  as  means  to  enable  them  the 
better  to  act  their  parts  as  huntsmen  and  warriors. 

THE   MAXDAN   LODGES. 

Some  of  the  western  tribes  avail  themselves  of 
their  commerce  with  the  whites  to  procure  the 
means  of  adding  very  materially  to  their  domestic 
comfort,  while  still  not  essentially  changing  the 
system  of  life  handed  down  to  them  from  their 
forefathers.  They  built  lodges  of  great  size,  some 
times  fifty  feet  in  diameter.  The  sides  are  formed, 
for  four  or  five  feet  above  the  ground,  of  a  bank  of 
earth.  Above  this  the  walls  are  continued  upward 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS.     283 

by  a  row  of  very  stout  poles  or  stems  of  trees, 
which  are  set  close  together  on  the  top  of  the  bank 
and  meet  in  the  center  above.  The  roof  id  thatch 
ed  with  willow  boughs  and  then  plastered  over 
with  clay,  so  as  to  make  it  perfectly  water-proof. 
In  the  center  of  the  interior  is  a  fire-place,  which 
consists  simply  of  a  shallow  depression  in  the 
ground.  This  fire-place  can,  of  course,  be  ap 
proached  on  every  side,  and  it  is  for  the  use  in 
common  of  all  the  families  that  inhabit  the  lodge. 

The  space  at  the  circumference  of  the  lodge, 
extending  along  the  wall,  is  divided  into  separate 
compartments,  like  the  cabins  of  a  ship,  for  the 
several  families.  Sometimes  very  rich  and  showy 
curtains  are  used  to  separate  these  compartments 
from  each  other,  and  the  posts  which  are  set  up  to 
divide  them  are  hung  with  arms  and  armor,  and 
also  with  scalps,  antlers  and  other  trophies. 

Each  family  has  a  bedstead  within  its  compart 
ment.  A  buffalo  skin  stretched  over  it  forms  both 
sacking  and  bed.  Another  buffalo  skin  serves  the 
combined  purpose  of  sheets,  blankets  and  counter 
pane;  while  a  third,  properly  folded,  fulfills  the 
function  of  both  bolster  and  pillows. 

Some  of  these  Indians  carry  their  luxury,  in  the 
matter  of  dress  and  decoration,  very  far.  An 
American  traveler  once  gave  fifty  dollars  for  the 


284     THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS. 

head-dress  of  a  western  Indian,  which  he  wished  to 
purchase  as  a  specimen  of  Indian  art,  to  add  to  bis 
museum. 

DIFFERENT    CAUSES    FOR   THE   AVERSION   OF    THE    INDIANS   TO 
LIVE   LIKE   THH    WHITES. 

Great  surprise  has  often  been  expressed  at  the 
total  disinclination  always  manifested  by  Indians 
to  imitate  the  modes  of  living  adopted  by  the 
whites,  after  having  once  had  an  opportunity  to 
observe  the  infinite  superiority  of  them.  And  al 
though  the  principal  cause  may  be  that  they  are 
endowed  by  the  Creator  with  a  mental  and  physical 
constitution  that  adapts  them  to  a  different  course 
of  life,  there  are  other  causes  that  have  been  com 
bined  with  this  in  producing  the  effect.  Among 
them  one  was  the  repulsion  of  race — a  fixed  prin 
ciple  of  nature  that  manifests  itself  universally 
throughout  all  the  realms  of  animal  life,  and  has 
been  ordained,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  for  wise 
and  beneficent  ends,  which  prevented  them  from 
being  cordially  received  into  the  same  social  arid 
domestic  system  with  the  whites,  and  treated  by 
them  in  it  as  friends  and  brothers.  A  great  many 
curious  anecdotes  are  related  in  books  of  Indian 
history  illustrating  the  position  which  the  poor 
Indian  occupied  among  the  whites,  and  the  feelings 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS.     285 


with  which  ho  entertained  the  idea  of  living  with 
them  and  becoming  one  among  them. 


THE   KENNEBEC    INDIAN  AND   HIS    CHILD. 

Nothing  can  illustrate  in  a  more  touching  man 
ner  the  influence  of  this  feeling  than  the  story  of 
the  Kennebec  Indian  and  his  dead  child.  The 
tribe  to  which  this  poor  man  belonged  lived  on  the 
banks  of  the  Kennebec,  in  Maine,  and  when  the 
State  passed  into  the  occupancy  of  white  men,  it 
became  nearly  or  quite  extinct.  One  man  of  the 
tribe  who  still  remained,  so  recommended  himself 
by  his  good  behavior,  and  by  his  evident  desire  to 
adopt  the  habits  of  civilized  life,  that  he  received  a 
grant  of  land  from  the  State,  in  a  certain  town 
ship,  and  he  settled  upon  this  land  with  his  wife 
and  child,  while  the  other  farms  in  the  neighbor 
hood  were  settled  by  whites. 

The  Indian  was  treated  fairly  enough  by  his 
neighbors  in  their  ordinary  dealings  with  him,  but 
still  he  was  an  Indian  in  their  view,  and  they  felt 
no  cordial  sympathy  with  him  or  his  family. 
They  did  not  admit  him  to  any  intimate  relations 
with  them,  or  regard  him  with  the  kind  and 
friendly  feelings  which  they  entertained  for  each 
other. 

At  length   his    child   fell  sick    and  died.     The 


286     THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEAN'S. 

neighbors  did  not  come  to  see  the  family  in  their 
distress,  and  the  poor  Indian  buried  his  child 
alone. 

Not  long  afterward  ho  went  to  some  of  his 
neighbors,  and  said  to  them  in  his  broken  language 
as  follows  : 

"When  white  man's  child  die,  Indian  man  be 
sorry.  He  help  bury  him.  When  my  child  die, 
no  one  speak  to  me.  I  make  his  grave  alone.  I 
can't  no  live  here  any  longer/' 

He  gave  up  his  farm,  dug  up  the  body  of  his 
child,  and  carried  it  away  with  him,  two  hundred 
miles  through  the  woods,  to  Canada,  and  joined  a 
tribe  of  Indians  living  there,  to  share  with  them, 
for  the  rest  of  his  days,  the  hardships  and  priva 
tions  of  barbarism. 

THE    FEELING   OF   REPULSION    THAT    EXISTS    BETWEEN    THE    DIF 
FERENT   RACKS   OF   MAN   NOT   NECESSARILY   A   PREJUDICE. 

That  peculiar  feeling  of  repulsion  which  is  seen 
universally  in  operation  between  the  different  races 
of  men,  and  makes  them  mutually  disinclined  to 
live  together  in  intimate  domestic  and  social  rela 
tions,  is  not,  as  is  sometimes  supposed,  necessarily 
a  prejudice  It  results,  as  has  already  been  inti 
mated,  from  a  wise  and  beneficent  law  of  nature — 
one  in  universal  operation  throughout  the  whole 


TEE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS.     287 

animal  world — the  object  of  which  is  to  preserve 
the    distinction    of  species,    and    to    maintain    the 
purity,  and  secure  the  advancement,  of  the  higher 
and  nobler  races  of  men.     It  is  an  instinctive  prin 
ciple  implanted  in  the  nature  of  every  living  being 
which  draws  him  from  those  that  are  unlike  him 
self  in   their   physical   conformation,    and    toward 
those  that  resemble  him.     In  species  that  are  en 
tirely   distinct    from   each    other   the   aversion   to 
domestic  union  is  unconquerable.     In  the  case  of 
varieties,  like  those  seen  in  the  different  races  of 
men,   the    repulsive    instinct   by  means   of  which 
nature   intends   to  keep  them  separate  from  each 
other,  in  respect  to  the  propagation  of  their  kind, 
is  less  strong,  but  it  is  none  the  less  real,  and  the 
design  with  which  it  has  been  implanted  is  benefi 
cent  in  the  highest  degree.     Thus  the  amalgama 
tion   of  the   Indian  race  with  the  Caucasian  race 
coming  to  the  new  world  from  Europe,  would  have 
been  against  nature,  and  the  instinctive  principle, 
both  in  the  heart  of  the  Indian  and  of  the  white 
man,  which  leads  each  to  love,  and  to  seek  domes 
tic  and  social  union  with,  those  of  their  own  race, 
and  to  avoid  such  union  with  those  of  the  other, 
was  one  wisely  implanted  in  the  beart  by  the  great 
author  of  nature,  and  one  which  both  races  were 
accordingly  bound  to  obey. 


238    THE  COMING  OF  THE  EUROPEANS. 

THE  UNIVERSAL  BROTHERHOOD  OF  MAN. 

These  views,  which  it  would  seem  impossible  to 
gainsay,  do  not  at  all  conflict  with  the  sublime 
doctrine  which  the  Christian  religion  teaches  us, 
of  the  universal  brotherhood  of  man,  and  the  obli 
gation  which  rests  upon  us  all  to  regard  every 
human  being  with  sentiments  of  cordial  and  honest 
good  will.  They  do  not  in  the  least  excuse  the 
acts  of  injustice  and  cruelty  which  have  been  per 
petrated  so  extensively  upon  the  Indian  tribes  dur 
ing  the  last  two  hundred  years,  in  consequence  of 
which  the  gradual  displacement  of  the  old  race  by 
the  new,  which  might  have  proceeded  quietly, 
peacefully,  and  without  individual  suffering,  has 
been  hurried  onward  with  so  much  violence  and 
wrong.  Let  us  hope,  however,  that  the  period  of 
this  injustice  is  now  over,  and  that  the  ancient 
race,  though  its  days  are  numbered  and  are  fast 
passing  away,  may  be  cheered  in  its  decline  by  the 
kind  and  friendly  regards  of  those  that  are  to  suc 
ceed  to  its  heritage,  and  thus  be  permitted  to  spend 
the  remainder  of  its  old  age  in  happiness  and 
peace. 

THE    END. 


^t>. 


ILLUSTRATED 
WITH  NUMEROUS  MAPS  AND  ENGRAVINGS. 


Jnrh: 
Y.  Crowell  ^  60. 

15    stor  Place, 


ABBOTT'S  AMERICAN   HISTORIES. 


L—  ABORIGINAL  AMERICA. 
IL  —  DISCOVERY  OF  AMERICA. 
III.  — THE  SOUTHERN  COLONIES. 
IV.—  THE  NORTHERN  COLONIES. 
V,  —  WARS   OF  THE   COLONIES. 
VI.—  REVOLT  OF  THE   COLONIES. 
VII.—  WAR   OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 
VIII.  —  WA  SUING  TON. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1860,  by 
JACOB   ABBOTT, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Orated  States,  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


PREFACE 


IT  13  the  design  of  this  work  to  narrate,  in  a 
clear,  simple,  and  intelligible  manner,  tne  leading 
events  connected  with  the  history  of  our  country, 
from  the  earliest  periods,  down,  as  nearly  as  prac 
ticable,  to  the  present  time.  The  several  volumes 
will  be  illustrated  with  all  necessary  maps  and 
with  numerous  engravings,  and  the  work  is  in 
tended  to  comprise,  in  a  distinct  and  connected 
narrative,  all  that  it  is  essential  for  the  general 
reader  to  understand  in  respect  to  the  subject  of 
it,  while  for  those  who  have  time  for  more  extended 
studies,  it  may  serve  as  an  introduction  to  other 
and  more  copious  sources  of  information. 

The  author  hopes  also  that  the  work  may  be 
found  useful  to  the  young,  in  awakening  in  their 
minds  an  interest  in  the  history  of  their  country, 


VI  PREFACE. 

and  a  desire  for  further  instruction  in  respect  to  it. 
While  it  is  doubtless  true  that  such  a  subject  can 
be  really  grasped  only  by  minds  in  some  degree 
mature,  still  the  author  believes  that  many  young 
persons,  especially  such  as  are  intelligent  and 
thoughtful  in  disposition  and  character,  may  derive 
both  entertainment  and  instruction  from  a  perusal 
of  these  pages. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

GREENLAND. 

PAGH 

A.  Connecting  Link  between  the  Old  World  and  the 
New. — The  Medusae. — Neither  Day  nor  Night. — ICQ 
Produced  upon  the  Land. — Formation  of  Icebergs. — 
Ice  Formed  upon  the  Sea. — Currents  in  the  North 
ern  Seas. — The  First  Recorded  Migration  to  America. 
— Establishment  of  the  Danish  Colony. — Disasters. — 
Yoyago  of  Lief  and  Biorn. — Different  Opinions  in 
Respect  to  these  Discoveries. — The  Runic  Inscrip 
tion, 15 

CHAPTER  II. 

COLUMBUS. 

Adventurous  Spirit  of  the  Fifteenth  Century. — Desire 
for  a  Passage  to  India  by  Sea. — Two  Routes  to  be 
Tried. — Prince  Henry  of  Portugal. — Discovery  of  the 
Passage  Round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. — Ideas  of 
Christopher  Columbus. — Supposed  Magnitude  of  the 
Earth. — Difficulties  Encountered  by  Columbus. — Terms 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

PAGK 

of  the  Covenant. — Preparations  for  the  Voyage. — 
Instruments  of  Navigation. — Public  Opinion  in  Re 
spect  to  the  Expedition. — The  Day  of  Sailing 39 


CHAPTER  III. 

JOURNAL    OF   THE    FIRST    VOYAGE    OF    COLUMBUS. 

The  Run  to  the  Canary  Islands. — A  Mouth  at  the 
Canaries. — The  Voyage  Commenced  in  Earnest  at  last. 
— Variation  of  the  Needle.— Mid-Ocean. — False  Cry 
of  Land. — Prosperous  Continuation  of  the  Voyage. — 
The  Mutiny. — Discovery  of  Land. 62 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SEQUEL      OF     THE     VOYAGE. 

Preparations  for  Landing. — The  Ceremony  of  Taking 
Possession. — Forming  Acquaintance  with  the  Natives. 
• — Columbus  not  Satisfied. — Astonishment  of  the  Na 
tives. — Cruise  among  the  Islands. — Search  for  Spices. — 
Landing  upon  Cuba. — An  Embassage  sent  into  the 
Interior. — General  Treatment  of  the  Natives. — Kid 
napping  the  Natives. — Visit  from  a  Cazique. — Dis 
asters. — Consequences  of  the  Loss  of  the  Sancta  Maria 
— Conclusion  of  the  Voyage 84 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER  V. 

DISCOVERY      OF      NORTH      AMERICA. 

PAOB 

Sebastian  Cabot. — Tho  Cabot  Family. — General  Interest 
Awakened  in  Columbus'  Discoveries. — The  Letters 
Patent. — The  Old  Map  at  Whitehall. — The  Inscription 
on  the  Map. — Other  Sources  of  Information. — The  First 
Voyage. — Tho  Second  Voyage. — Observations  on  tho 
Land. — Advance  to  the  Northward. — Mutiny. — Return 
of  the  Expedition. — Subsequent  History  of  Cabot. — 
The  Voyage  of  the  Serchthrift 115 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE      DISCOVERY      OF      FLORIDA. 

A-mericus  Vespucius. — John  Ponce  de  Leon  and  the 
Fountain  of  Youth.— Commencement  of  Hostilities  with 
the  American  Indians. — The  First  Act  of  Revenge. — 
Narvaez. — The  Landing. — Plans  for  Advancing  into 
tho  Country. — Progress  of  the  March. — Crossing  the 
Suwanee  River. — The  Bloodhounds. — Increasing  Diffi 
culties. —  Arrival  at  Apalache.  —  Narvaez  turns  his 
Course  towards  the  Sea. — Narvaez  Discouraged. — 
Boat  Building  on  the  Sea  Shore. — End  of  the  Ex 
pedition 135 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII 

FERNANDO      DE      SOTO. 

PAOH 

Commencement  of  De  Soto's  Career. — Outfit  of  De  Soto's 
Expedition. — Difficulties  at  the  Outset. — Arrival  on  the 
Coast  of  Florida. — De  Soto  obtains  an  Interpreter. — 
The  Story  of  Ortiz. — Preparations  for  the  Campaign. — 
The  Adventure  of  Yasco  Porcallo. — Disposition  of  the 
Fleet. — Commencement  of  the  March  into  the  Inte 
rior. — Hardships  and  Difficulties  of  the  March. — intense 
Hostility  of  the  Indians. — Progress  of  the  Expedition. 
— The  Captive  Princess. — Tuscaloosa. — Approach  to 
Mauvila. — Terrible  Reverse  at  Mauvila. — Horrible  Con 
dition  of  the  Army  after  the  Battle. — De  Soto's  Deter 
mination. — The  Greatest  of  the  Losses  from  the  Fire.  165 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SCOVERY    OF     THE     MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 

Determination  of  De  Soto  to  Proceed. — Passage  of  the 
Tuscaloosa  River. — John  Ortiz  as  an  Interpreter. — De 
Soto  Unhorsed  in  Battle. — The  Only  Woman  in  the 
Army. — Single  Combat. — Language  of  Signs. — Arrival 
on  the  Banks  of  the  Mississippi. — Aspect  of  the 
River. — Search  for  a  Crossing  Place. — A  Fleet  of 
Canoes. — Crossing  the  Mississippi. — Grand  Religious 
Ceremony. — Incidents  of  the  March. — De  Soto  begins 
to  be  Discouraged. — Determination  to  turn  toward  the 
Sea, — Sickness  and  Death  of  De  Soto. — The  Burial 


CONTENTS.  XI 

PAGB 

of  the  Body. — Condition  of  th.o  Army  after  the  Death 
of  De  Soto. — Case  of  a  Deserter. — End  of  the  Ex 
pedition  199 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE      RIVER      ST.      LAWRENCE. 

The  Three  Chief  Rivers  of  North  America. — James  Car- 
tier. — Sailing  of  the  Expedition. — The  Voyage. — Seach 
for  a  Passage  through  the  Land. — Intercourse  with  the 
Natives. — The  Expedition  ascends  the  River. — Donna- 
cona. — Accounts  of  Ilochelaga. — Attempt  to  Frighten 
Cartier  by  an  Apparition. — Continued  Ascent  of  the 
River. — Lake  St.  Peter. — Approach  to  Hochelaga. — 
Visit  to  the  Town. — First  Observation  of  Tobacco. — 
Return  of  the  Expedition  down  the  River. — The  Pes 
tilence. — Extreme  Distress  and  Suffering. — Stratagems 
against  the  Indians. — Return  of  the  Expedition. — The 
Kidnapping  of  Donnacona. — Donnacona's  Cunning. — 
The  Seizure  Effected. — Distress  of  the  People. — Pro 
visions  for  Donnacona's  Voyage. — Results  of  Carrier's 
Discoveries...  .  232 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE      HUDSON      RIVER. 

Henry  Hudson. — First  and  Second  Voyages  of  Hudson. 
The  Third  Voyage.— Landing  in  Penobecot  Bay. — The 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

Ship  Blown  Ashore. — The  Indians. — John  Coleman. — 
Ascent  of  the  River. — Intercourse  with  the  Indians. — 
An  Indian  put  to  the  Test. — Modesty  of  the  Women. — 
Approach  to  the  Highlands  in  Descending  the  River. — 
An  Indian  Chief. — End  of  the  Voyage  in  the  River. — 
Subsequent  History  of  Hudson. — Henry  Greene. — The 
Gunner's  Gray  Cloth  Gown. — The  Captain  Quarrels 
with  Greene. — The  Mutiny. — The  Last  that  was  ever 
Known  of  Captain  Hudson. — Conclusion 265 


LIST    OF    ENGRAVINGS. 


DEBIGNEB.  PASS 

COLUMBUS  AND  nis  MUTINOUS  MEN F.  O.  C.  Darley.  Frontispiece. 

SPECIMENS  OF  MEDUSA H.  W.  Herrick 18 

FORMATION  OF  ICEBEEGS H.  W.  Herrick 23 

ABCTIC  CONNECTION  OF  EUBOPE  AND  AMEKICA  .  John  R.  Chapin 28 

COLUMBUS  AT  ins  STUDIES H.  W.  Herrick 47 

FIRST  VOYAGE  OF  COLUMBUS J.  R.  Chapin 63 

THE  SQUADEON  IN  POET Granville  Perkins 91 

EXPEDITION  OF  NAEVAEZ J.  R.  Chapin 146 

THE  EXECUTIONEBS J.  R.  Chapin 154 

ESCAPE  OF  THE  PEINCESS J.  R.  Chapin 1ST 

EXPEDITION  OF  DE  SOTO J.  R.  Chapin. 198 

BUBIAL  OF  DE  SOTO J.  R.  Chapin 225 

DISCOVEBIEB  OF  C  ABTiEB '. J.  R.  Chapin 230 

TBJS  BANKS  OF  THE  ST.  LAWBENCE G.  Perkins. . .  . .  280 


DISCOVERY  OF   AMERICA, 


CHAPTER   I. 

GREENLAND. 

A.  CONNECTING   LINK    BETWEEN    THE   OLD  WORLD   AND   THE   NEW. 

THE  great  connecting  link  between  the  old  world 
and  the  newT,  not  only  in  respect  to  the  transmis 
sion  of  plants  and  animals,  but  also  for  man,  has 
always  been  found  in  the  cold  and  barren  but 
still  magnificent  promontory  of  Greenland.  This 
promontory  insinuates  itself  like  a  wedge  between 
the  island  of  Iceland,  the  Feroe  Islands,  and  the 
coast  of  Norway,  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Ameri 
can  shores  on  the  other,  and  in  connection  with 
them  forms  a  series  of  stepping-stones,  or  rather 
of  stations,  by  means  of  which  countless  thousands 
of  bears,  seals,  walruses,  foxes,  dogs,  and  other 
Arctic  mammals,  and  countless  millions  of  gulls, 
geese,  auks,  and  other  far-flying  aquatic  birds, 
some  through  the  water,  others  through  the  air, 
and  others  upon  vast  fields  of  ice,  either  fixed  or 


16  GREENLAND. 

moving,  have  been  continually  passing  to  and  fro. 
There  are  scarcely  any  coasts  in  the  world  more 
teeming  with  animal  life  than  these  sterile  and. 
ice-bound  shores. 

THE  MEDUSAE. 

Almost  all  these  animals  are  beasts  and  birds 
of  prey,  and  they  derive  their  sustenance  mainly 
from  the  sea — the  land  furnishing  very  scanty 
means  of  supporting  life.  The  ultimate  source 
from  which  the  food  of  all  the  Arctic  animals 
comes,  and  which  from  its  abundance  is  the  cause 
of  the  extreme  prolificness  of  life  in  all  those 
regions,  is  derived  from  the  vast  numbers  of  me 
dusae  with  which  the  seas  in  those  latitudes  are 
filled. 

The  medusae  are  jelly  fishes.  There  is  a  very 
large  class  of  these  animals,  known  to  naturalists  . 
by  the  name  of  Acalephae.  This  is  a  Greek  word, 
meaning  nettles.  This  name  is  given  to  the  class 
from  the  fact  that  some  of  the  species  have  the 
power  of  producing  a  stinging  sensation  on  being 
touched  in  the  water,  or  held  in  the  hand.  These 
stinging  species  are  common  upon  our  coasts,  and 
the  boys  often  encounter  them  in  bathing.  They 
call  them  sea-nettles,  sting-galls,  and  by  other 


GREENLAND.  17 

such  names.  The  whole  class  of  Medusae  are 
called  by  sailors  jelly-fishes,  or  sea-blubber. 

These  animals  have  a  very  singular  appearance 
when  swimming  in  the  water.  The  different  spe 
cies  are  of  various  forms  and  of  all  sizes,  but  they 
all  seem  to  consist  of  a  transparent  jelly,  of  a  sym 
metrical  and  curious  form,  but  without  limbs  or 
members,  and  they  move  through  the  water  by  a 
series  of  alternate  contractions  and  expansions,  by 
means  of  which  they  make  a  certain  degree  of  pro 
gress,  though  in  the  main  they  are  drifted  to  and 
fro  wherever  the  tides  and  currents  bear  them. 

The  substance  of  which  they  are  composed,  as 
has  already  been  said,  consists  of  a  transparent 
jolly,  but  it  is  sometimes  adorned  with  curious 
and  beautiful  tints  of  color,  and  certain  lines  are 
seen  in  some  cases  ramifying  through  it,  forming  a 
net-work  of  a  very  geometrical  character,  and  de 
noting  the  complete  organization  of  the  mass. 

Some  of  the  species  have  a  sort  of  fringe  of 
hairs,  like  little  snakes,  which  hang  from  the  mar 
gin  of  the  cup-shaped  disc  that  is  formed  by  their 
bodies,  and  float  writhing  and  twisting  in  the 
water,  as  the  cup,  by  alternate  expansions  and 
contractions,  forces  its  way  along.  It  is  from  this 
circumstance  that  they  have  received  their  name 
of  Medusae— Medusa  having  been  a  fabled  mon- 


18 


GREENLAND 


ster  of  ancient  times,  whose  head  was  adorned  witt 
snakes  instead  of  hair. 


SPECIMENS   OF   MEDUSAS. 


Many  of  the  medusae  are  phosphorescent,  a/u,<l 
these  luminous  species  are  sometimes  so  numerous 
that  the  whole  surface  of  the  ocean  glows  with 
them  at  night,  as  if  the  waves  were  undulations  of 
liquid  fire. 

The  different  species  vary  extremely,  both  in 
form  and  in  size.  Some  are  so  minute  as  not  to 
be  seen  by  the  naked  eye,  in  consequence  of  which 
it  often  happens  that  curious  persons,  seeing  some 
evening  the  whole  surface  of  the  sea  glowing  with 
the  light  which  they  produce,  are  surprised  to  find 


GREENLAND.  19 

nothing  visible  in  the  water,  when  they  draw  up  a 
bucket  full  of  it  to  the  deck  of  the  ship,  in  order 
to  ascertain  the  cause. 

Others  of  the  medusae  are  of  great  size  and 
strength.  T.iey  will  seize  and  devour  fishes  of 
considerable  magnitude,  and  yet  their  bodies  con 
tain  so  little  substance  that  when  drawn  up  upon 
the  beach  they  look  like  a  mere  mass  of  jelly,  and 
on  being  exposed  for  a  short  time  to  the  sun  and 
air  almost  entirely  dry  up  and  disappear,  leaving 
nothing  behind  them  but  a  thin  filmy  web,  wholly 
shapeless  and  unmeaning. 

For  some  reason  or  other  animals  of  this  class 
swarm  in  countless  millions  in  all  the  northern 
seas.  So  dense  arc  the  schools  sometimes  that  the 
whole  color  of  the  sea,  for  hundreds  of  miles,  is 
changed  by  them.  They  furnish,  of  course,  im 
mense  quantities  of  food  for  whales  and  other  ceta 
ceous  animals,  and  also  for  fishes  of  all  kinds, 
which  in  their  turn  give  sustenance  to  bears,  seals, 
walruses,  and  multitudes  of  other  animals.  All 
these  animals  are  provided  with  warm  coats,  either 
of  fur  for  the  land  or  of  blubber  for  the  water,  to 
enable  them  to  endure  the  intense  cold  of  the 
dreary  region  which  thus  furnishes  them  with 
such  exhaustless  supplies  of  food. 


20  GREENLAND. 


NEITHER  DAY   NOR  NIGHT. 


In  these  polar  regions  there  is;  strictly  speak 
ing,  neither  day  nor  night,  but  only  mornings  and 
evenings,  as  it  were,  for  the  sun  never  rises  higher 
than  a  few  degrees  above  the  horizon,  nor  sinks 
more  than  a  few  degrees  below.  It  is,  therefore, 
never  very  dark  at  any  period  of  the  day  or  of  the 
year.  On  the  shores  of  Baffin's  Bay  it  has  been 
found,  in  the  experience  of  ships  wintering  there, 
that  in  mid-winter,  and  at  the  part  of  the  day 
when  the  sun  is  furthest  below  the  horizon,  the 
twilight  is  so  bright  that  the  finest  print  can  be 
read  by  it, 

Of  course,  the  brightness  of  this  midnight 
twilight  varies  with  the  latitude.  The  further 
north  we  go,  and  the  less  the  altitude  which  the 
sun  attains  in  rising  above  the  horizon,  the  less  is 
his  depression  when  he  sinks  below  it.  Thus,  by 
a  beautiful  compensation,  what  would  otherwise  be 
the  intolerable  gloom  of  a  so  long  protracted  period 
of  darkness  and  cold  is  greatly  diminished. 

In  addition  to  this  perpetual  twilight  the  mo 
tions  of  the  electric  currents,  and  the  extraordina 
ry  play  of  mists  and  vapors  in  the  air,  give  rise  to 
halos,  parhelions,  luminous  meteors  and  corrusca- 
tions  of  the  aurora  borealis  in  great  abundance,  by 


GREENLAND.  21 

which  the  aspect  of  the  sky,  during  the  long 
period  of  the  absence  of  the  sun,  is  greatly  en 
livened  and  cheered. 

ICE    PRODUCED   UPON   THE   LAND. 

The  great  means  of  intercommunication  between 
the  different  coasts  and  islands  of  these  northern 
seas  is  the  ice.  This  ice  is  of  two  different  kinds — • 
that  which  is  formed  upon  the  land  and  that  which 
is  formed  upon  the  sea. 

Upon  the  land  the  rains  and  snows  of  a  vast 
succession  of  seasons  accumulate,  and  form  beds 
of  solid  ice  called  glaciers,  which  increase  until 
they  become  not  unfrequently  thousands  of  feet  in 
thickness.  These  glaciers  fill  the  valleys,  and 
sometimes  occupy  immense  slopes  of  land  declining 
toward  the  sea.  They  are  formed  wherever  there 
is  a  tract  so  situated,  in  respect  to  higher  land  sur 
rounding  it,  that  it  can  retain  the  snow  that  is 
driven  into  it  by  the  winds,  or  that  slides  into  it 
in  avalanches,  and  also  receive  the  water  of  the 
summer  streams.  The  effect  of  time  and  cold  is  to 
cement  all  these  supplies — rain,  snow,  sleet  and 
hail — into  one  solid  mass  of  homogeneous  ice,  which, 
however,  is  nevertheless,  notwithstanding  its  sok 
idity,  subject  to  a  slow  motion  like  that  of  lavj\ 
nearly  cooled,  which,  though  men  can  travel  over 


22  GREENLAND. 

it  in  safety,  and  it  will  bear  very  heavy  weights 
upon  its  surface,  still  moves  slowly,  and  indeed 
almost  imperceptibly,  onward. 

The  motion  of  the  ice  in  glaciers  is  exceedingly 
slow — so  slow  that,  notwithstanding  the  creaking 
and  grinding  sounds  which  are  continually  heard 
upon  it,  and  the  constant  protrusion  of  its  lower 
end  through  the  soil,  and  even  into  the  forests  of 
the  lower  valleys,  it  was  a  long  time  before  man 
kind  could  be  convinced  of  the  reality  of  it.  It  is 
now,  however,  not  only  positively  known  that  it 
moves,  but  the  rate  of  its  progress  has  been  exactly 
measured.  In  Switzerland,  the  average  flow  is 
about  an  inch  an  hour  in  the  summer  season.  As, 
however,  the  motion  varies  very  much  according  to 
the  temperature  of  the  air,  in  Greenland  it  must  be 
much  slower.  It  is  well  for  voyagers  passing  to 
and  fro  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  that  it  is  so. 

FORMATION   OP   ICEBERGS. 

Whenever  a  glacier  like  those  above  described 
abuts  upon  the  sea,  the  slow  motion  of  the  mass 
above  and  behind  crowds  the  termination  of  it 
out  over  the  water,  until  undermined  by  the  waves, 
and  borne  down  by  the  superincumbent  weight, 
immense  masses  break  off  and  fall  over  and  are 
borne  away  by  the  currents  and  tides.  The  fall 


GREENLAND.  25 

of  one  of  these  mountains  produces,  in  the  stillness 
of  the  Arctic  night,  a  sound  like  that  of  thunder, 
and  the  vast  undulation  of  the  sea  occasioned  by 
the  fall  rocks  the  ships  of  whalemen  or  of  explor 
ers  at  a  distance  of  many  miles  in  the  offing. 

It  is  thus  that  the  icebergs  are  formed,  which 
add  so  much  to  the  danger  of  crossing  the  Atlan 
tic,  and  which  probably  explain  the  mystery  in 
which  is  involved  the  fate  of  the  large  number  of 
vessels  that,  after  leaving  the  land  in  safety,  are 
never  heard  of  again. 

These  icebergs,  however,  so  dangerous  to  navi 
gators  on  the  open  sea,  are  the  friends  and  pro 
tectors  of  ships  exploring  the  Arctic  shores,  afford 
ing  them,  as  they  so  often  do,  a  sure  and  efficient 
shelter  from  fields  and  packs  of  ice  which  come 
sweeping  over  the  sea  with  a  slow  but  inconceiva 
bly  destructive  force,  that  nothing  but  a  rock  or  an 
iceberg  can  withstand. 

ICE    FORMED   UPON   THE   SEA. 

The  ice  that  is  formed  upon  the  sea  is  flat  and 
level  and  comparatively  thin.  It  is  seldom  more 
than  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in  thickness.  »It 
drifts  to  and  fro  through  the  Arctic  seas  wherever 
the  winds  and  the  currents  bear  it,  moving  always 
with  immense  force,  sometimes  in  vast  and  contin- 


26  GREENLAND. 

uous  fields,  sometimes  in  broken  packs  wedged 
together  and  piled  up  in  lofty  heaps,  and  some 
times  in  detached  and  scattered  floes.  It  carries 
with  it  stones,  drift  wood,  and  animals  of  various 
kinds.  The  drift  wood  it  collects  for  itself  from 
the  supplies  brought  by  the  currents  of  the  ocean 
from  more  southern  climates.  The  stones  fall 
upon  it  from  the  icebergs.  Animals  travel  over  it 
when  it  is  fast  to  the  shore,  and  then,  when  the 
tide  or  the  wind  or  the  set  of  the  current  breaks  it 
up.  they  are  taken  with  it  and  borne  away. 

CURRENTS   IX   THE    NORTHERN"    SEAS. 

In  other  parts  of  the  world  the  movements  of 
the  ocean  in  the  flow  of  tides  and  currents  are 
silent  and  unseen,  but  in  the  Arctic  seas  the 
presence  of  the  ice  makes  them  all  manifest  to  the 
senses  of  the  observer  in  the  most  imposing  man 
ner.  The  majestic  march  of  the  immense  floes,  as 
they  are  seen  sometimes,  grinding  their  resistless 
way  along  a  rocky  shore,  sometimes  struggling 
against  each  other  in  a  conflict  continued  for  many 
hours,  and  piling  up  immense  heaps  of  broken  ice 
along  the  line  of  collision  for  many  miles  ;  some 
times  crowding  through  narrow  passages,  and  then 
again  sweeping  down  in  an  immense  stream,  hun 
dreds  of  leagues  in  length,  toward  the  open  sea,  pre- 


GREENLAND.  27 

sents  one  of  the  grandest  spectacles  which  nature 
anywhere  affords,  and  the  solemn  sounds  emitted 
by  those  stupendous  movements,  in  the  stillness  of 
an  Arctic  night,  strike  all  who  witness  them  with 
an  indescribable  awe. 

The  movements  to  and  fro  of  these  immense 
masses  of  ice,  when  free,  and  the  bridging  of  the 
waters  which  they  effect  when  fixed,  have  exer 
cised  a  great  influence  upon  the  distribution  of 
plants  and  animals  in  America,  and  may  have  been 
the  first  means  of  introducing  man. 

THE   FIRST  RECORDED   MIGRATION  TO  AMERICA. 

The  first  case,  however,  which  is  historically 
recorded  of  a  passage  to  Greenland  from  the  Euro 
pean  shores  was  that  of  a  man  driven  across  in  a 
vessel  by  a  storm.  The  name  of  this  adventurer 
was  Gunbiorn.  He  lived  in  Iceland,  and  was 
blown  off  from  that  island  by  a  gale  of  wind,  and 
after  visiting  the  shores  of  Greenland,  and  finding 
them  inhabited  by  men — who  must,  of  course,  have 
preceded  him  ages  before,  but  who  had  left  no 
record  of  their  migration — succeeded  in  finding  his 
way  back  to  Iceland  again.  This  took  place  in 
the  year  910,  which  was  something  like  fifty  years 
after  Iceland  itself  was  first  discovered  and  settled 
by  the  Norwegians  and  Danes. 


28 


GREENLAND. 


TUB   KOBTHEBN   SEAS. 


There  was  nothing,  after  all,  very  surprising  in 
this  voyage  of  Gunbiorn,  for  the  distance  from 
Iceland  to  Greenland  was  not  so  great  as  it  was 
from  Iceland  to  the  European  shores,  so  that  the 
Danes  and  Norwegians  in  colonizing  that  island 
had  already  made  more  than  half  the  voyage. 


GREENLAND.  29 

Besides,  theso  Northmen,  as  they  were  called, 
were  as  bold  and  adventurous  sailors  as  the  world 
has  ever  seen.  Considering  how  fe\v  of  the  facili 
ties  which  are  enjoyed  at  the  present  day  were  at 
their  command,  they  accomplished  expeditions  as 
hazardous  and  extraordinary  as  any  of  their  suc 
cessors  have  undertaken  to  the  present  day. 

ESTABLISHMENT   OF   THE   DANISH    COLONY. 

It  will  be  seen,  by  reference  to  the  map,  that  in 
making  the  voyage  from  Iceland  to  Greenland  the 
direction  in  which  Gunbiorn  must  have  been 
driven  by  the  gale  was  toward  the  southward. 
We  are  apt  to  have  a  wrong  impression  in  respect 
to  the  relative  situation  of  these  coasts,  on  account 
of  their  coming  in  different  hemispheres  in  the 
maps  which  we  arc  accustomed  to  see.  To  remedy 
this  the  map  here  given  has  been  constructed  on  a 
plan  to  represent  this  region  of  the  earth's  surface 
more  as  it  appears  upon  the  globe,  and  it  shows 
very  clearly  that  in  going  toward  the  southern 
part  of  Greenland  an  Iceland  navigator  was  ad 
vancing  to  the  southward,  and  of  course  to  warmer 
regions,  while  yet,  at  the  same  time,  he  was  going 
further  away  from  the  European  shores,  from 
which  he  and  his  ancestors  had  originally  come. 
Gunbiorn  carried  back  a  favorable  report  of  the 


30  GREENLAND. 

land  that  he  had  discovered,  though  it  was  not 
favorable  enough  to  induce  any  of  his  fellow-coun 
trymen  to  attempt  to  visit  it  for  many  years.  But 
at  length,  in  983,  a  certain  chief  named  Eric 
Raude,  having  killed  another  chief  in  a  quarrel, 
was  compelled  to  fly  from  the  country  by  sea,  and 
he  went  to  Greenland.  After  being  absent  for 
some  time  he  returned,  and  brought  back  very 
glowing  accounts  of  the  beauty  and  fertility  of  the 
land.  Indeed,  the  name  Greenland,  which  it  now 
Deceived  for  the  first  time,  was  given  to  it  by  Eric 
m  token  of  its  extraordinary  verdure.  His  ac 
counts  were  greatly  exaggerated,  no  doubt,  al 
though  as  they  were,  of  course,  intended  to  describe 
the  condition  and  character  of  the  country  in  com 
parison  with  those  of  Iceland,  which  lay  so  much 
to  the  northward  of  it,  his  descriptions  were  proba 
bly  not  so  extravagant  as  they  might  seem. 

In  consequence  of  his  reports  and  of  the  efforts 
which  he  made  to  induce  the  Danish  authorities  to 
act  upon  them,  a  large  expedition  was  fitted  out 
with  a  view  of  proceeding  to  Greenland  to  make  a 
settlement  there.  The  expedition  consisted  of  twen 
ty-five  vessels.  These  vessels  contained  a  large 
number  of  settlers  for  the  new  colony,  both  men  and 
women,  and  also  cattle,  and  supplies  of  seeds  and 
utensils  of  all  sorts  necessary  for  such  a  community. 


(GREENLAND.  31 

About  one  half  of  these  vessels  reached  their 
destination.  The  rest  were  scattered  by  storms,  or 
wrecked  among  the  fields  of  ice  and  lost. 

Those  that  landed  established  friendly  relations 
with  the  natives  whom  they  found  already  there, 
and  formed  two  settlements,  which  continued  to 
thrive  for  som3  time.  Numbers  came  to  join  these 
settlements  from  Iceland,  and  also  from  the  Ork 
ney  Islands,  and  from  the  coast  of  Norway.  When 
we  reflect  upon  the  discomfort  and  the  danger 
which  must  have  attended  such  voyages  as  these, 
made  in  small  and  frail  vessels,  and  directed  across 
the  most  stormy  and  ice-infested  seas,  and  with  no 
guidance  for  the  navigator  but  the  sun  and  stars — 
for  the  mariner's  compass  was  not  known  for  some 
centuries  after  this  time — and  consider,  moreover, 
the  dreadful  hardships  which  the  colonists  must 
inevitably  have  suffered  in  founding  settlements  in 
so  wintry  and  inhospitable  a  land,  we  can  not  but 
be  amazed  at  the  courage  and  fortitude  which  the}'- 
displayed.  It  would  seem  that  the  dauntless  ener 
gy  evinced  by  our  forefathers  in  the  settlements 
which  they  made  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  five  or  six 
centuries  later,  is  more  renowned  only  because 
they  have  left  a  more  numerous  progeny  to  talk 
about  and  applaud  them. 


32  GREENLAND. 


DISASTERS. 


Three  great  disasters  befell  the  colony  in  Green 
land  before  it  had  been  many  years  established. 
First,  the  settlers  became  involved  in  wars  with 
the  Esquimaux,  and  they  suffered  a  great  deal 
from  this  source.  In  the  second  place,  a  great 
pestilence,  called  the  black  death,  which  broke  out 
and  raged  with  great  fury  in  all  the  northern 
countries  of  Europe  about  this  time,  extended 
itself  at  last  to  Iceland,  and  thence  to  Greenland, 
and  carried  off  great  numbers  of  the  people. 
Finally,  as  if  to  complete  and  seal  the  ruin  of  the 
colony,  a  series  of  severe  winters  set  in,  in  conse 
quence  of  which  the  ice  accumulated  to  such  an 
extent  in  the  neighboring  seas  that  all  access  to 
the  coasts  of  Greenland  was  cut  off,  and  the  poor 
imprisoned  exiles  were  left  to  struggle  as  they 
could,  alone,  with  the  terrible  elements  of  destruc 
tion  which  were  reigning  so  gloomily  around  them. 

When,  at  length,  after  the  lapse  of  many  years, 
the  ice  so  far  released  its  hold  as  to  allow  a  Danish 
ship  once  more  to  approach  the  land,  very  few 
traces  of  the  old  colony  were  to  be  found. 


VOYAGE   OF    LIEF   AND   BIORN. 


Very  soon  after  the  establishment  of  the  colony 
in  Greenland,  and  before  the  calamities  above  men- 


GREENLAND.  33 

tioned  came  to  blast  the  hopes  of  the  settlers, 
two  of  them,  named  Lief  and  Biorn,  made  a  voyage 
to  the  southward,  and  explored  a  considerable  por 
tion  of  the  American  coast.  Lief  was  the  son  of 
the  principal  founder  of  the  colony,  and  he  was 
induced  to  make  this  voyage  from  the  report  of  an 
Icelander,  who,  on  attempting  to  come  to  Green 
land  in  a  vessel,  was  blown  off  in  a  storm  far  to 
the  southward.  He  succeeded  finally  in  working 
his  way  back  again,  and  on  arriving  in  Greenland 
he  reported  that  he  had  seen  a  country  to  the 
southward  that  was  well  covered  with  wood  Ac 
cordingly  the  governor's  son  determined  to  make  a 
voyage  in  that  direction,  to  see  what  he  could 
find. 

It  was  early  in  the  summer  when  the  vessel 
sailed,  and  the  party  did  not  return  until  the  next 
season.  The  account  which  they  gave  of  their  ad 
ventures  was  this : 

They  went  to  the  southward  for  some  distance, 
and  at  length  came  to  a  large  rocky  island.  They 
named  this  island  Helluland.  After  this  they 
came  to  a  low  country  well  covered  with  wood, 
which  they  named  Markland.  They  still  went  on, 
and  at  length,  some  days  later,  they  discovered  a 
larger  and  far  more  attractive  country  than  any 
they  had  yet  seen.  There  was  a  river  and  trees 


34  GREENLAND. 

loaded  with  fruit  growing  on  the  banks  of  if. 
They  also  found  some  vines  growing  in  the  woods, 
which  certain  Germans,  whom  they  had  with  them 
on  board  among  the  sailors,  told  them  were  the 
same  as  those  which  bore  grapes  in  their  country, 
from  which  wine  was  made. 

This  last  circumstance  interested  the  party  of 
discoverers  very  much,  for  the  Icelanders  seem 
never  to  have  seen  grapes  before.  They  accord 
ingly  named  this  country  Vineland. 

They  found  natives  in  this  country,  but  they 
were  of  very  small  stature,  like  the  Esquimaux, 
who  are  so  short  that  the  Icelanders  had  given 
them  a  name  which  in  their  country  signified 
dwarfs.  They  called  these  natives  dwarfs  too. 
They  found  them  in  possession  of  furs  and  skins, 
which  they  were  ready  to  sell  for  such  articles  as 
the  voyagers  had  on  board  their  ship.  The  voya- 
agers  being  much  pleased  with  the  country,  and 
finding  too,  perhaps,  that  the  season  was  too  far 
spent  to  make  it  safe  for  them  to  attempt  to  make 
their  way  back  through  the  ice  to  Greenland, 
landed  and  spent  the  winter  there,  and  then  in  the 
following  summer  returned. 

DIFFERENT    OPINION'S   IN    RESPECT    TO   THESE   DISCOVERIES. 

These  voyagers  had  no  means  of  making  obser- 


GREENLAND.  35 

vajions  for  latitude  and  longitude,  so  as  to  ascer 
tain  precisely  how  far  south  it  was  that  they  had 
found  the  fertile  land.  They,  however,  reported 
that  the  time  during  which  the  sun  remained  abovo 
the  horizon,  in  the  shortest  day  in  winter,  was 
nine  hours. 

In  all  the  northern  regions  through  which  these 
Arctic  wanderers  had  been  accustomed  to  roam, 
the  time  during  which  the  sun  remains  above  the 
horizon,  in  the  shortest  day  of  winter,  was  the 
mark  and  measure  of  the  latitude  and  climate  of 
every  country,  and  indeed  almost  of  its  whole  con 
dition  in  respect  to  fitness  for  the  habitation  of 
man. 

It  is  now  known  that  the  latitude  which  gives 
nine  hours  for  the  shortest  day  in  winter  is  that  of 
Rhode  Island ;  and  consequently,  if  the  report  of 
these  voyagers  is  true,  it  must  have  been  some 
where  in  the  region  of  Narraganset  bay  that  their 
Vineland  was  situated.  It  is  not  at  all  improbable, 
however,  that  they  exaggerated  somewhat  the 
length  of  their  shortest  day,  and  if  so,  their  posi 
tion  would  have  been  further  north.  Some  per 
sons  have  supposed,  indeed,  that  the  whole  story  is 
a  fiction,  or  that  at  most  it  is  an  exaggerated  ac 
count  of  some  small  expedition  to  the  western  or 
southwestern  shores  of  Baffin's  Bay,  and  that 


36  GREENLAND. 

Columbus  was  really  the  first  person  of  direct 
European  extraction  that  set  his  foot  upon  the 
shores  of  the  American  continent.  But  the  opin 
ion  of  those  best  qualified  to  judge  is,  that  this 
voyage  of  the  Northmen  was  really  made,  and  that 
notwithstanding  the  renown  to  which  Columbus  is 
justly  entitled  for  his  subsequent  discoveries,  the 
Atlantic  coast  of  America  was  really  visited  by 
European  adventurers  many  centuries  before  his  day. 


THE    RUNIC   INSCRIPTION. 


A  great  deal  of  interest  was  excited  in  1824 
by  the  discovery  of  a  singular  stone,  far  up  the 
coast  of  Greenland  containing  an  inscription  in 
Runic  characters.  This  name  Runic  was  applied 
to  an  alphabet  of  sixteen  letters,  of  very  singular 
forms,  which  were  in  use  in  ancient  times  among 
all  the  Scandinavian  nations  — that  is,  the  people 
of  Sweden  and  Norway,  and  of  other  neighboring 
countries.  The  character  was  used  sometimes  for 
public  inscriptions,  but  it  was  more  generally  em 
ployed  by  priests  and  conjurers,  for  charms  and 
spells,  and  mystical  and  magical  devices  of  all 
sorts.  Words  of  strange  and  hidden  meaning  were 
written  in  it,  within  figures  of  various  forms,  such 
as  circles,  triangles,  squares,  and  the  like,  and 
there  were  different  ways  of  writing,  according  aa 


GREENLAND.  37 

the  spell  was  intended  to  take  effect  in  securing 
health  to  its  possessor,  or  good  luck  in  his  business, 
or  safety  at  sea,  or  victory  over  his  enemies,  or  to 
bewitch  and  destroy  the  objects  of  his  hate. 

The  Runic  writing  is  very  ancient,  and  the  use 
of  it  was  entirely  discontinued  in  the  fifteenth  cen 
tury — it  having  then  been  everywhere  prohibited 
by  law.  Many  inscriptions,  however,  in  this  char 
acter  still  remain  in  Norway,  Iceland,  and  Sweden. 
They  are  made  usually  upon  rude  tablets  of  stone, 
set  up  over  a  cairn,  or  upon  some  huge  rock  or 
face  of  a  precipice  by  the  wayside. 

The  Runic  inscription  found  in  Greenland  was 
discovered  in  1824.  The  place  where  it  was  found 
was  far  to  the  north  of  the  supposed  situation  of 
the  early  Norwegian  colonies,  and  not  many  miles 
from  the  present  Danish  settlement  of  Upernavick, 
in  latitude  73°. 

The  stone  was  taken  to  Copenhagen  and  de 
ciphered  there  by  the  antiquarians  and  scholars. 
The  inscription  was  found  to  be  as  follows : 

"  Erling,  son  of  Sigvat  and  Enride  Oddsoen, 
cleared  this  place  and  raised  this  cairn,  on  Friday- 
after  Rogation  day,  in "* 

*  Rogation  is  a  festival  of  the  church  which  occurs  early  in 
the  season,  usually  in  May.  It  commemorates  the  Ascension 
of  our  Saviour. 


38  GREENLAND. 

The  date  was  indistinct.  It  was  thought,  how 
ever,  that  the  stone  must  have  been  erected  not 
far  from  the  year  1100. 

This  stone,  showing  how  far  up  the  shores  of 
Baffin's  Bay  the  Northmen  had  extended  their 
settlements  at  this  very  early  age,  is  now  pre 
served  as  a  great  curiosity  in  the  royal  museum  in 
Copenhagen. 


CHAPTER  II. 

COLUMBUS. 

ADVENTUROUS    SPIRIT   OP    THE    FIFTEENTH    CEXTUET. 

AT  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century  only 
about  one-half  the  globe  was  known  at  all  to  the 
civilized  nations  of  Europe.  There  then  arose  a 
great  desire  to  explore  and  discover  the  remainder. 

The  nation  which  took  the  lead  in  this  spirit  of 
adventure  and  discovery  was  Portugal.  The  gov 
ernment  of  Portugal  had  been  engaged  during  the 
preceding  century  in  several  wars  with  the  Moors, 
in  the  course  of  which  they  had  fitted  out  a  num 
ber  of  naval  expeditions  to  the  coast  of  Africa. 
In  prosecuting  these  wars  the  Portuguese  made 
great  improvements  in  the  art  of  building  ships 
and  of  navigating  them.  The  situation  of  their 
own  country,  too — with  numerous  safe  and  excel 
lent  harbors  along  the  coast  opening  out  directly 
upon  the  broad  Atlantic — was  very  favorable. 

Previous  to  the  time  above  mentioned  the  navi 
gation  of  the  wrorld  had  been  almost  wholly  con 
fined  to  the  Mediterranean  sea,  and  the  great  cities 


40  COLUMBUS. 

that  were  situated  on  the  shores  of  that  sea,  such 
as  Genoa,  Naples,  Venice,  and  others,  conducted 
nearly  all  the  commerce  that  then  existed.  The 
merchants  sent  their  goods  by  ships  to  every  part 
of  the  Mediterranean,  and  from  the  eastern  shores 
of  that  sea  they  sent  them  by  caravans  to  Persia, 
and  finally  to  India. 

DESIKE   FOR   A   PASSAGE   TO   INDIA   BY   SEA. 

The  way  to  India  overland,  by  caravans,  was 
extremely  long  and  tedious,  and  yet  the  trade  was 
so  profitable,  and  the  accounts  brought  back  by 
the  merchants  and  travelers,  in  respect  to  the  inex 
haustible  wealth  of  the  country,  were  so  exciting, 
that  the  European  governments,  especially  those 
that  ruled  over  kingdoms  situated  near  the  western 
confines  of  the  continent,  began  to  be  extremely 
desirous  of  finding  some  way  of  reaching  it  by  sea. 
A  single  good-sized  ship,  even  such  as  were  built 
in  those  days,  would  convey  as  many  goods  as  a 
train  of  a  thousand  camels  could  carry,  and  would 
advance,  moreover,  at  twice  or  three  times  the 
camel's  rate  of  speed.  There  was  also  an  enor 
mous  difference  in  the  expense  of  land  and  sea 
transportation.  Twenty  or  thirty  men,  who  could 
take  all  their  provisions  with  them,  would  be  suffi 
cient  for  conducting  the  ship ;  while  a  caravan  of 


COLUMBUS.  41 

camels,  sufficient  to  convey  by  land  the  cargo  of 
goods  which  the  ship  would  contain,  would  require 
quite  an  army  of  drivers,  packers,  guides,  soldiers 
for  escopt,  and  the  like ;  and  the  provision  necessary 
for  the  sustenance  of  this  great  troop  would  neces 
sarily  have  to  be  purchased  mainly  along  the  line 
of  the  route,  and  often  at  very  high  prices. 

It  is  not  at  all  surprising,  therefore,  that  the 
merchants  in  the  western  part  of  Europe  became 
at  length  extremely  desirous  of  finding  a  passage 
to  India  by  sea. 


T\VO   ROUTES    TO    BE   TRIED. 


There  were  two  routes  by  which  an  attempt 
might  be  made  to  reach  India  by  sea.  One  was 
by  following  the  coast  of  Africa,  with  a  view  of 
sailing  entirely  round  the  southern  extremity  of  it, 
and  then  turning  to  the  eastward  and  so  proceeding 
to  India.  This  way  was  at  length  discovered,  and  it 
is  now  the  great  route  pursued  by  the  East  India- 
men  of  all  the  countries  in  Europe.  These  ships 
supply  the  whole  western  world  with  teas,  silks, 
spices,  and  other  East  India  productions,  while 
they  carry  thither,  in  exchange,  the  merchandise 
and  manufactures  of  Europe,  transporting  cargoes 
which  all  the  camels  in  the  world  could  never  suc 
ceed  in  carrying  overland  across  the  plains. 


42  COLUMBUS. 

Well  known,  however,  as  this  great  thoroughfare 
is  at  the  present  time,  there  was  only  a  conjecture 
that  it  might  exist  in  those  early  days  ;  for  the 
ships  of  the  Europeans  had  only  proceeded  a  very 
short  distance  down  the  African  coast,  to  a  certain 
cape  called  Cape  Non,  and  nobody  knew  at  all 
what  was  beyond  this  boundary. 

The  other  route  by  which  it  was  thought  that  a 
passage  to  India  by  sea  might  possibly  be  found 
will  be  mentioned  further  on. 

PRINCE   HENRY    OF   PORTUGAL. 

Among  the  personages  who  took  the  greatest 
interest  in  the  voyages  of  exploration  and  discov 
ery  made  in  those  days  was  Prince  Henry,  tho 
fourth  son  of  John  I.,  King  of  Portugal.  By 
reference  to  the  chart  at  the  commencement  of  the 
next  chapter  it  will  be  seen  that  Cape  St.  Vincent 
is  the  southwestern  extremity  of  Portugal.  It  is  a 
lofty  promontory  overlooking  the  sea.  Near  it  is 
the  small  seaport  of  Sagres.  Prince  Henry  made 
some  voyages  to  Africa  in  connection  with  his 
father's  expeditions  to  that  country,  and  he  became 
so  much  interested  in  navigation  and  in  the  sea 
that  he  left  the  court  at  Lisbon  and  took  up  his 
residence  near  the  port  of  Sagres,  on  the  high 
land,  whence  ho  could  look  off  at  all  times  over  the 


COLUMBUS.  43 

ocean  which  ho  so  much  loved,  and  where,  too,  in 
the  little  port  below  he  could  fit  out  his  ships  and 
plan  and  arrange  his  nautical  enterprises.  In  the 
end  he  devoted  his  life  to  organizing  and  sending 
forth  expeditions  of  discovery.  Most  of  these  ex 
peditions  were  sent  down  the  coast  of  Africa  with 
a  view  of  reaching  the  southernmost  extremity  of 
the  continent,  and  there  finding  an  open  way 
through  the  sea  to  India. 

The  mariner's  compass  was  not  yet  known,  and 
so  the  ships,  in  making  these  voyages,  were  com 
pelled  to  keep  near  the  shore,  and  ^  Advance  in  a 
very  slow  and  cautious  manner.  Sometimes,  how 
ever,  the  winds  and  the  waves  helped  them  to  a 
sudden  and  rapid  stride  in  their  progress  of  discov 
ery,  though  perhaps  much  against  their  will.  The 
very  first  ship,  for  instance,  that  Prince  Henry 
sent  out,  was  driven  off  from  the  coast  by  a  squall, 
and  after  scudding  over  the  waves  for  three  or  four 
hundred  miles  the  mariners  came  in  sight  of  an 
island,  where  they  obtained  refuge  from  the  gale. 
They  named  the  island  Porto  Santo,  and  then  re 
turned  homo  to  report  what  they  had  discovered. 

A  colony  was  sent  out  to  take  possession  of  this 
island,  and  while  they  were  making  their  settle 
ment  they  saw  far  to  the  southward  of  them  a 
small  spot  in  the  horizon.  It  was  the  summit  of 


44  COLUMBUS. 

another  island.  They  sailed  to  it  and  found  the 
island  of  Madeira,  which  was  a  very  much  greater 
prize  than  the  one  which  they  had  first  dis 
covered. 

These  successes,  when  they  were  reported  to 
Prince  Henry,  encouraged  him  very  much,  and  in 
fact  awakened  a  great  enthusiasm  throughout  the 
whole  of  western  Europe.  Nothing  was  talked  of 
or  thought  of  but  voyages  for  exploring  unknown 
seas.  Adventurous  nobles  and  grandees  began  to 
form  schemes  for  becoming  governors  of  islands 
which  they  were  to  discover.  Merchants  formed 
companies,  and  sea  captains  studied  maps  and 
charts,  and  advanced  innumerable  theories  and 
conjectures  in  respect  to  the  conformation  of  the 
land  and  sea,  and  the  direction  in  which  new  terri 
tories  might  be  expected  to  be  found. 

DISCOVERT  OP  THE  PASSAGE  ROUND  THE  CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 

This  state  of  things  continued  for  a  long  period, 
during  which  every  successive  voyage  was  extended 
further  and  further  south,  and  yet  so  slow  was  the 
progress  made  that  it  was  more  than  fifty  years 
before  the  Portuguese  navigators  reached  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope.  As  they  went  on  making  voyage 
after  voyage,  each  one  extending  a  little  further  to 
the  southward  than  the  preceding,  they  were  con- 


COLUMBUS.  45 

tinually  more  and  more  surprised  at  the  immense 
extent  of  the  continent  whose  shores  they  were  ex 
ploring.  The  line  of  coast  seemed  to  stretch  on 
interminably  before  them.  Each  new  cape  which 
they  reached  they  hoped  would  be  the  last ;  but  as 
soon  as  they  had  doubled  it.  and  opened  the  view 
beyond,  they  always  saw  another  bringing  its  dim 
outline  into  view,  in  the  haze  of  the  distant  horizon, 
to  mock  and  disappoint  them. 

At  length,  when  a  voyager  came  in  sight  of  the 
real  termination  of  the  land,  he  found  a  lofty  pro 
montory,  around  which  the  winds  and  storms  were 
raging  with  such  violence  that  he  did  not  dare  to 
proceed.  So  he  named  the  point  the  Cape  of 
Storms,  and  returned.  The  king,  however,  to 
whom  he  reported  the  result  of  his  voyage — for  this 
was  after  Prince  Henry's  day — said  that  he  be 
lieved,  or  at  least  hoped,  that  this  promontory  was 
the  last.  So  he  named  it  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
and  as  the  hopes  which  it  thus  awakened  proved 
afterward  to  be  well  founded,  the  cape  has  re 
tained  the  name  which  was  thus  given  to  it  to  the 
present  day. 

IDEAS   OF   CHRISTOPHER   COLUMBUS. 

Christopher  Columbus  was  one  of  the  navigators 
who  was  attracted  to  the  western  part  of  Europe 


46  COLUMBUS. 

by  the  interest  which  was  everywhere  felt  in  the 
Portuguese  expeditions.  He  was  born  in  Genoa. 
Indeed,  all  the  best  sailors  in  those  days  came  from 
the  great  Italian  sea-ports.  Columbus  was  a 
thoughtful,  serious-minded  man,  of  very  calm  and 
quiet  demeanor,  but  endued  with  a  spirit  of  in 
domitable  energy  and  perseverance.  He  made 
various  voyages  in  the  early  part  of  his  life,  of  the 
particulars  of  which  not  much  is  known.  But 
wherever  he  went  his  mind  was  intent  upon  ob 
taining  information  in  every  possible  way  in  re 
spect  to  the  form  of  the  earth,  to  the  question 
whether  there  might  be  other  lands  in  existence 
yet  unknown,  and  if  so,  in  what  direction  they 
were  to  be  sought,  and  also  more  especially  in  re 
spect  to  the  possibility  of  finding  a  way  to  India 
by  steering  due  west  from  Europe,  and  so  entirely 
circumnavigating  the  globe. 

Columbus  had  arrived  at  middle  age  before  he 
began  seriously  to  think  of  making  voyages  of  dis 
covery  ;  and  while  he  was  at  Lisbon,  making  en 
deavors  to  awaken  an  interest  in  the  subject  there, 
he  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a  young  lady,  whom 
he  first  saw  at  a  convent  chapel  where  he  was 
accustomed  to  attend  divine  service.  He  was  soon 
afterward  married  to  this  lady.  Her  name  was 
Philippa  Palestrcllo.  Her  father  had  been  a  dis- 


COLUMBUS. 


47 


tinguished  navigator,  but  was  not  now  living.  His 
widow,  the  mother  of  Columbus'  bride,  related  to 
Columbus  a  great  many  of  her  husband's  adven- 


r 


COLUMBUS   AT   HIS   STUDIES. 


tures  in  his  different  voyages,  as  he  had  related 
them  to  her,  and  communicated  to  him  a  great 
deal  of  information,  which  was  of  much  advantage 
to  him.  She  also  produced  and  delivered  to  Co- 


48  COLUMBUS. 

lumbus  her  husband's  maps,  charts,  and  journals, 
all  of  which  she  had  carefully  preserved,  and  which 
Columbus  now  studied  with  great  interest  and 
attention. 

SUPPOSED  MAGNITUDE  OP  THE  EARTH. 

One  of  the  first  questions  to  be  determined  in 
respect  to  the  possibility  of  reaching  India  by  sail 
ing  directly  round  the  globe  was  what  the  distance 
would  be,  and  that,  of  course,  would  depend  upon 
the  magnitude  of  the  earth.  Since  the  days  of 
Columbus  the  circumference  of  the  earth  has  been 
very  accurately  measured  in  both  directions,  but 
the  means  of  determining  the  question  which  he 
could  command  were  very  imperfect  and  few. 

He  made  his  calculation,  as  indeed  all  calcula 
tions  of  longitude  are  made  at  the  present  day,  by 
time.  The  sun  he  knew  was  twenty-four  hours  in 
passing  round  the  world.  So  he  imagined  the 
equator  to  be  divided  into  twenty-four  parts,  one 
for  each  hour.  He  calculated  that  from  the  fur 
thest  known  portion  of  Asia  to  the  longitude  of  the 
Cape  Verd  Islands,  which  was  the  furthest  point  to 
the  westward  that  the  European  navigation  had 
yet  attained,  there  were  comprised  sixteen  of  these 
hours,  leaving  only  eight  to  be  explored. 


COLUMBUS.  49 

Now,  the  distance  from  the  Cape  Verd  Islands 
to  the  furthest  portion  of  Asia  then  known  to 
Europeans  was  about  eight  thousand  miles,  and  if 
this  distance  had  really  represented  sixteen  out  of 
the  twenty-four  hours  of  time  comprised  in  the 
circuit  of  the  earth,  then  the  remaining  space, 
which  would  have  represented  eight  hours,  would 
have  made  only  four  thousand  miles.  Columbus 
supposed  that  even  this  distance  would  be  very 
much  diminished  by  the  extension  of  Asia  to  the 
eastward  much  further  than  the  point  which  Euro 
pean  travelers  had  yet  reached.  So  that  he 
thought  by  sailing  west  from  Europe  he  should 
reach  the  land  long  before  he  should  have  passed 
over  the  whole  interval.  He  might  come  to  it 
after  sailing  three,  or  even  two,  thousand  miles. 

But  the  truth  was,  the  earth  was  very  much 
larger  than  he  supposed  it  to  be.  So  that  in 
stead  of  reaching  India  by  a  voyage  of  two  thou 
sand  miles,  the  distance,  by  the  way  that  he  pro 
posed  to  go,  was  nearer  sixteen  thousand. 

Then,  moreover,  it  was  impossible  to  reach 
India  by  such  a  route  at  all,  for  the  continent  of 
America  lay  directly  in  the  way.  And  so  it  hap 
pened  in  the  end  that,  on  making  his  voyage,  after 
he  had  proceeded  about  as  far  as  he  expected  to 
go  before  coming  to  India,  he  was  stopped  by  the 


50  COLUMBUS. 

American  shores,  while  he  was  still  ten  thousand 
miles  from  his  intended  destination. 

DIFFICULTIES    ENCOUNTERED   BY   COLUMBUS. 

Columbus  met  with  a  great  many  difficulties  and 
discouragements  before  he  could  obtain  the  means 
of  carrying  his  plans  into  effect.  Very  few  private 
individuals  were  wealthy  and  powerful  enough  to 
furnish  vessels  and  men  for  such  an  undertaking, 
and  the  governments  to  whom  he  applied  were 
very  slow  in  coming  to  a  decision ;  and  in  repeated 
instances,  when  they  did  decide,  their  answer  was 
unfavorable.  It  is  said  that  the  king  of  Portugal 
was  strongly  inclined  to  favor  his  views,  but  the 
great  geographers  and  learned  men  of  his  court,  to 
whom  the  project  was  referred  for  examination, 
pronounced  against  it  so  decidedly  that  the  king 
had  not  courage  to  proceed. 

Other  governments,  after  long  delays,  decided, 
one  after  another,  against  the  plan.  At  last, 
Queen  Isabella  of  Spain,  who  reigned  in  conjunc 
tion  with  her  husband  Ferdinand,  was  induced  to 
look  favorably  upon  -the  undertaking,  but  a  long 
delay  took  place,  and  many  difficulties  intervened, 
before  an  arrangement  was  finally  made. 

Some  of  these  difficulties  arose  from  the  very 
grandeur  of  the  views  which  Columbus  entertained 


COLUMBUS.  51 

and  the  high  personal  expectations  which  he  cher 
ished.  He  was  a  man  of  great  exaltation  of  char 
acter,  and  in  revolving  in  his  mind  the  subject  of  a 
new  route  to  India,  and  of  the  discovery  of  new 
islands  and  continents  beyond  the  sea,  he  had  been 
led  to  form  very  lofty  ideas  of  the  mission  which 
Divine  Providence  designed  him  to  fulfill.  He 
was  about  to  open  the  way  to  many  new  heathen 
nations  and  tribes  which  would  be  converted  to 
Christianity  by  the  light  which  his  coming  would 
cause  to  shine  upon  them,  and  he  was  going  to 
bring  home  untold  treasures  of  wealth,  which 
Isabella  was  to  employ  in  a  new  crusade  against 
the  Turks,  for  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  City.  His 
conceptions,  moreover,  of  the  importance  of  his 
own  personal  agency  in  these  grand  achievements 
were  such  that  he  demanded  to  be  invested,  in 
advance,  with  the  authority  of  admiral  and  viceroy 
over  all  the  seas  and  lands  that  be  should  discover. 

The  idea  of  investing  a  private  person  like  Col 
umbus  with  the  rank  and  title  of  viceroy  was  ex 
tremely  distasteful  both  to  Isabella  and  to  all  the 
Spanish  court,  composed  as  it  was  of  grandees  as 
proud  of  their  aristocratic  birth  as  any  nobles  in 
Europe,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  this  diffi 
culty  could  be  surmounted. 

Columbus  was,   however,   firm  in  insisting   on 


52  COLUMBUS. 

these  conditions,  though  quiet  and  calm  in  his  man 
ner  of  doing  so,  and  at  length  the  grandees  yielded. 

TERMS   OF   THE    COVENANT. 

Ferdinand  and  Isabella  made  a  solemn  covenant 
or  treaty  with  Columbus,  which  was  signed  and 
sealed  in  due  form.  This  covenant  stipulated — 

1.  That  Columbus   was  by  the  act  constituted 
Lord  High  Admiral,  with  full  maritime  jurisdic 
tion  over  all  the  bays,  gulfs,  coasts,  and  shores  that 
he  should  explore. 

2.  That  he  was  constituted  viceroy  for  the  king 
and  queen  over  all  the  lands  and  continents  that 
he  should  discover;  and   this  dignity  was   to  be 
hereditary  in  his  family.     All  separate  and  subor 
dinate  governors  of  particular  provinces  were  to  be 
appointed  by  the  king  and  queen  from  a  limited 
number  of  candidates  that  Columbus  was  to  name. 

3.  Columbus  was  made  supreme  judge,  in  re 
spect  to  all   matters  pertaining  to  commerce  and 
commercial  transactions   of  all  kinds,  in  the  new 
countries. 

4.  He  was  to  receive  for  himself  and  his  heirs, 
forever,  one-tenth   of  all  the  clear  profits  which 
should  be  derived  from  the  productions  and  com 
merce  of  the  new  lands,  in  consideration  of  his 
being  the  discoverer  of  them. 


COLUMBUS.  53 

5.  He  was  entitled  to  furnish,  if  he  chose,  one- 
eighth  part  of  the  outfit  for  the  expedition,  either 
by  himself  or  by  the  contributions  of  his  friends, 
and  in  consideration  of  this  he  was  to  receive  one- 
eighth  part  of  the  profit. 

The  powers  and  prerogatives  thus  conferred 
upon  him  were  very  high.  They  were  all  contin 
gent,  it  is  true,  on  the  future  discovery  of  seas  and 
lands  upon  which  they  were  to  take  effect;  but 
Columbus  was  so  confident  that  he  should  find  and 
explore  many  rich  and  extended  territories,  that 
he  felt,  when  the  treaty  was  signed,  as  if  he  were 
already  raised  to  the  rank  of  a  prince. 

In  respect  to  the  natives  of  the  countries  that 
were  to  be  discovered,  these  arrangements  were  all 
made  without  regard  to  them.  They  were  heathen, 
and  their  rights  were  accordingly  not  taken  into 
the  account  at  all.  The  pope,  as  supreme  head  of 
the  church,  had  given  the  Christian  kings  of  Spain 
and  Portugal  full  authority  to  take  absolute  pos 
session  of  any  countries  which  they  might  discover, 
and  to  establish  their  own  government  over  the  in 
habitants,  with  a  view  of  bringing  them  all  at  once 
within  the  pale  of  Christianity.  No  one  seems  to 
have  entertained  any  idea  that  the  natives  them 
selves  could  have  any  rights  which  were  entitled 
to  the  least  respect  or  consideration. 


54  COLUMBUS. 

PREPARATIONS   FOR   THE   VOYAGE. 

The  point  from  which  the  expedition  was  to 
sail,  and  where,  of  course,  all  the  preparations 
were  to  be  made,  was  a  small  town  in  the  south 
ern  part  of  Spain,  called  Huelva,  whose  port  is 
Palos. 

Both  Huelva  and  Palos  are  situated  on  the 
shores  of  a  bay  which  forms  the  harbor  of  Palos.* 
There  are  many  small  islands  in  this  bay.  One 
of  these  islands  named  Saltes  was  the  particular 
rendezvous  of  the  expedition.  The  government 
furnished  two  vessels  and  ninety  men.  These 
vessels  were  very  small,  and,  incredible  as  it  may 
seem,  had  no  decks  except  at  the  bows  and  stern. 
Thus  they  might  almost  be  considered  as  open 
boats,  only  that  they  were  of  the  size  of  small 
vessels. 

Columbus  had  some  friends  who  resided  near 
Palos,  especially  the  family  of  Pinzon,  which  con 
sisted  of  three  brothers,  all  men  of  considerable 
wealth,  and  accustomed  to  the  sea.  These  friends 
combined  with  Columbus  in  defraying  the  expense 
of  furnishing  his  eighth  part  of  the  outfit,  on  con 
dition  that  they  were  to  receive  a  portion  of  the 
profits  of  the  enterprise,  and  it  was  arranged 

*  See  chart  at  the  commencement  of  the  next  chapter. 


COLUMBUS.  55 

moreover  that  two  of  the  brothers  Pinzon  were  to 
join  the  expedition  as  commanders  of  the  vessels 
furnished  by  the  king.  The  funds  which  they  con 
tributed  were  expended  in  buying  a  third  vessel, 
larger  than  either  of  the  other  two,  and  in  fit 
ting  it  up  for  the  voyage  in  the  most  complete 
manner. 

This  vessel  Columbus  named  the  Holy  Mary, 
or,  as  it  was  expressed  in  the  Spanish  language, 
the  Sancta  Maria.  The  two  which  were  furnished 
by  the  government  were  named  the  Pinta  and  the 
Nina. 

The  Holy  Mary  was  to  bear  the  admiral's  flag, 
and  to  be  commanded  by  Columbus  himself.  Of 
the  next  vessel,  the  Pinta,  Martin  Pinzon  was 
captain,  and  his  brother  Francis  pilot.  Vincent 
Pinzon,  the  other  brother,  commanded  the  third 
vessel. 

The  banner  borne  upon  the  admiral's  vessel  had 
for  its  device  two  crowns,  with  the  initials  of 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella  over  them,  and  a  large 
cross  between  them. 

The  vessels  were  all  furnished  with  provisions 
and  water  for  twelve  months.  The  number  of 
men  provided  by  the  government  to  navigate  the 
vessels  was  ninety.  In  addition  to  these  quite  a 
number  of  other  persons  joined  the  expedition, 


56  COLUMBUS. 

making  the  whole  number  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty.  They  all  felt  a  certain  personal  interest 
in  the  adventure,  for  Queen  Isabella  had  offered  a 
large  reward  to  the  one  who  should  first  discover 
land,  after  the  vessels  had  gone  beyond  the  range 
of  all  former  voyagers,  and  this  prize  was  open  to 
the  competition  of  the  whole  company.  Still  many 
of  the  seamen  had  been  compelled  to  join  the  ex 
pedition  against  their  will. 

INSTRUMENTS  OF  NAVIGATION. 

At  the  present  day  navigators  have  the  means 
of  finding  their  place  upon  the  ocean,  both  in  lati 
tude  and  longitude,  very  exactly.  They  take  with 
them  the  time  of  the  port  which  they  leave,  by 
means  of  very  precise  chronometers,  and  then  hav 
ing  nice  instruments  for  ascertaining  the  time 
where  they  are,  they  can  determine  how  many 
hours  of  the  suns  motion  they  are  from  port,  and 
this  gives  them  the  longitude. 

They  have  also  very  exact  instruments  for  ascer 
taining  the  sun's  altitude  at  noon,  or  the  altitude 
of  the  north  star,  or  of  any  other  known  star, 
when  it  crosses  the  meridian,  and  this  gives  them 
the  latitude. 

The  only  instrument  which  Columbus  was  pro 
vided  with  for  measuring  altitudes  was  one  called 


COLUMBUS.  57 

an  astrolabe.  It  consisted  of  a  circle  with  a 
graduated  rim,  and  sights,  by  means  of  which  he 
could  ascertain,  within  a  few  degrees  probably,  the 
altitude  of  the  north  star.  This  would  give  him, 
approximately,  his  latitude ;  for  to  a  person  on  the 
equator  the  north  star  appears  in  the  horizon,  and 
as  the  observer  moves  to  the  northward  over  the 
earth's  surface  the  star  rises,  until  at  length,  at 
the  pole,  could  he  go  so  far,  the  north  star  would 
be  directly  over  his  head. 

Thus  the  altitude  of  the  north  star  corresponds 
approximately  with  the  distance  of  the  observer 
from  the  equator  toward  the  pole. 

Accordingly,  by  watching  the  north  star  and 
measuring  the  altitude  of  it  every  night  with  his 
astrolabe,  a  navigator  in  those  days  would  be  able 
to  keep  his  ship,  in  advancing  toward  the  west, 
pretty  nearly  upon  the  same  parallel  of  latitude,  or 
to  draw  to  the  south,  toward  the  equator,  or  recede 
from  the  equator  toward  the  pole,  at  his  pleasure. 

Columbus  had  the  mariner's  compass  also,  and 
it  might  at  first  be  supposed  that  it  would  be  in 
his  power  to  regulate  the  course  of  his  ship,  in  re 
spect  to  latitude,  by  this  instrument  alone.  And 
this  would  be  practicable  were  it  not  for  the 
numerous  and  powerful  currents  always  flowing  in 
the  sea,  by  means  of  which  a  vessel,  while  steadily 


58  COLUMBUS. 

headed  toward  the  west,  or  toward  the  east,  might 
be  carried  imperceptibly  far  to  the  northward  or  to 
the  southward  in  the  course  of  several  days'  sail, 
and  this  makes  it  necessary  for  every  ship  occa 
sionally  to  verify  the  latitude  by  an  observation. 

As  to  longitude,  Columbus  had  probably  no 
means  of  ascertaining  it  at  all,  except  by  keeping 
a  reckoning,  as  well  as  he  could,  of  the  distances 
which  he  sailed  on  each  successive  day.  This, 
however,  was  a  matter  of  no  very  serious  moment, 
as  his  object  was  to  sail  due  west  until  he  came  to 
land.  So  long  as  he  had  the  means  of  getting  his 
latitude  right,  he  could  keep  nearly  on  the  same 
parallel,  and  of  course,  in  respect  to  longitude, 
there  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  to  go  continu 
ally  on. 

And  then,  too,  in  returning,  as  he  knew  in  what 
latitude  Palos  was,  all  that  he  had  to  do  was  to 
keep  upon  that  parallel,  and  sail  east  till  he  came 
to  it.  He  would  be  sure  to  come  to  it  sooner  or 
later,  though  not  knowing  his  longitude  precisely, 
he  could  not  know  precisely  when  to  expect  the 
land  to  come  in  sight. 

Besides  his  instruments,  Columbus  had  on  board 
sundry  charts  containing  delineations  of  supposed 
and  imaginary  islands  and  tracts  of  land,  laid 
down  according  to  the  fancies  or  the  theories  of 


COLUMBUS.  59 

different  geographers  and  learned  navigators  who 
had  speculated  on  the  subject. 

PUBLIC   OPINION"  IN   RESPECT  TO  THE  EXPEDITION. 

The  work  of  getting  the  little  squadron  ready, 
and  of  making  the  other  various  preparations  for 
the  voyage  that  were  necessary,  consumed  a  large 
portion  of  the  summer,  so  that  the  month  of 
August  arrived  before  the  expedition  was  ready 
to  sail.  During  all  this  time  public  attention  was 
strongly  turned  toward  the  projected  enterprise, 
and  great  was  the  difference  of  opinion  entertained 
in  respect  to  the  feasibility  of  it.  Some  hoped 
for  the  best,  and  at  any  rate  expressed  good 
wishes.  Some  mocked  and  ridiculed  the  whole 
undertaking.  The  prevailing  opinion  was,  how 
ever,  that  the  adventurers  were  going  forth  on  a 
desperate  enterprise,  from  which  it  was  very 
doubtful  whether  any  of  them  would  ever  re 
turn. 

THE   DAT   OF   SAILING. 

At  length  the  day  of  sailing,  which  was  the 
third  of  August,  arrived.  The  day  was  Friday, 
and  it  would  seem  that  Americans  at  least  should 
for  ever  dismiss  all  superstitious  ideas  in  respect  to 
lucky  and  unlucky  days,  in  consideration  of  the 


60  COLUMBUS. 

fact  that  it  was  on  a  Friday  that  the  expedition 
Bailed,  on  the  success  of  which  the  knowledge  of 
the  existence  of  the  new  world  and  everything  con 
nected  with  the  whole  course  of  its  subsequent  his 
tory  depended.  It  was  moreover  on  Friday  that 
the  expedition  first  came  in  sight  of  land. 

The  ships  were  to  set  sail  early  in  the  morn 
ing.  On  the  day  previous  a  grand  religious  ser 
vice  was  held,  in  recognition  of  the  dependence  of 
those  about  to  depart  upon  the  blessing  of  Al 
mighty  God  for  all  hope  of  success  in  their  danger 
ous  enterprise.  Columbus,  together  with  the 
whole  company  under  his  command,  walked  in 
solemn  procession  through  the  streets  of  the  town 
to  a  certain  monastery,  where,  in  the  chapel,  mass 
was  celebrated,  and  then  all  attached  to  the  expe 
dition  confessed  their  sins,  received  absolution,  and 
joined  with  the  priests  in  offering  up  prayers  to 
God  that  he  would  protect  and  bless  them  on  their 
voyage,  and  bring  them  home  again  in  safety. 

The  next  morning  at  sunrise  the  squadron 
sailed.  A  large  concourse  of  people  assembled  to 
witness  the  departure.  The  spectators  lined  the 
shores  as  the  vessels  moved  away,  some  cheering 
them  with  loud  acclamations,  and  others,  especially 
the  mothers  and  wives  of  those  on  board,  engaged, 
with  earnest  gesticulations  and  many  tears,  in  put- 


COLUMBUS.  61 

ting  up  fervent  prayers  to  the  Holy  Virgin  to  take 
them  all  under  her  blessed  protection. 

Columbus  kept  a  regular  daily  journal  during 
his  voyage,  a  copy  of  which,  drawn  up  in  full,  was 
prepared  to  be  presented  to  the  king  and  queen  on 
his  return.  In  the  following  chapter  we  present 
an  abstract  of  this  journal,  made  from  the  original 
document,  in  order  to  convey  to  the  reader  a  more 
vivid  idea  than  could  otherwise  be  given  of  the 
incidents  that  occurred  during  the  voyage,  and  of 
the  aspect  which  the  new  and  unknown  scenes  into 
which  the  party  were  ushered  as  they  advanced  on 
their  way,  presented  to  their  view. 


CHAPTER    III. 

JOURNAL    OF   THE    FIRST    VOYAGE    OF    COLUMBUS. 

THE   RUN   TO   THE   CANARY   ISLANDS. 

AUGUST  3,  1492.  The  squadron  crossed  the 
bar  at  the  island  of  Saltes  half  an  hour  before  sun 
rise.  By  sunset  of  the  same  day  it  had  gained  an 
offing  of  about  sixty  miles.  The  ships  were  then 
headed  to  the  southwest,  toward  the  Canary  Is 
lands,  distant  about  six  hundred  miles. 

August  6.  The  rudder  of  the  Pinta  became 
unshipped  or  damaged  in  some  way  so  as  in  a 
great  measure  to  disable  the  vessel.  It  was  sus 
pected  that  two  of  the  sailors  had  produced  the 
mischief  intentionally,  at  the  instigation  of  the 
owner  of  the  vessel,  in  order  to  interrupt  the  voy 
age,  and  some  angry  criminations  took  place  be 
tween  the  officers  and  the  men.  Columbus  was 
uneasy  because  the  state  of  the  weather  prevented 
his  going  on  board  the  Pinta  to  give  directions  in 
respect  to  repairing  the  damage.  He,  however, 
felt  £reat  confidence  in  the  nautical  skill  of  Martin 

o 

Pinzon,  who  commanded  the  damaged  vessel,  which 


FIRST    VOYAGE    OF    COLUMBUS.  65 

confidence  it  seems  was  well  deserved,  for  Pinzon 
succeeded  in  refitting  the  rudder,  so  that  the  vessel 
could  proceed. 

August  7.  The  rudder  of  the  Pinta  gave  way 
again,  which  occasioned  a  renewal  of  the  difficulty 
that  had  occurred  the  day  before. 

August  8.  It  was  time  now,  according  to 
the  reckoning,  for  the  squadron  to  be  drawing 
toward  the  islands,  and  a  consultation  was  held 
among  the  commanders  and  pilots  in  respect  to  the 
precise  direction  in  which  it  would  be  best  to  steer 
in  order  to  find  them.  All  gave  their  opinions, 
each  Judging  as  well  as  he  could  from  the  distance 
which  they  had  come  and  the  course  on  which  they 
had  sailed ;  and  also  from  the  floating  of  sea- weed, 
the  flight  of  birds,  and  other  such  signs  as  naviga 
tors  were  accustomed  to  rely  upon  in  those  days 
for  finding  the  land,  in  the  absence  of  any  precise 
knowledge  from  observations. 

It  proved  in  this  case  that  Columbus'  judgment 
was  most  correct.  The  vessels  were  steered  in 
accordance  with  it,  and  soon  the  lofty  peak  of 
Teneriffe  came  into  view. 

The  island  of  Teneriffe  is  one  of  the  largest,  and 
by  far  the  most  lofty,  of  the  Canaries,  and,  there 
fore,  it  is  always  the  first  one  that  is  seen.  But 
the  best  harbor  was  at  the  smaller  island  of  Gom- 


66  JOURNAL    OF   THE 

era,  a  little  further  on.  Columbus,  accordingly, 
determined  to  proceed  to  Gomera,  but  the  Pinta 
was  compelled  to  come  to,  and  cast  anchor  under 
the  shores  of  Teneriffe.  on  account  of  the  rudder 
being  so  much  out  of  order.  The  vessel  leaked, 
too,  it  was  found,  and  Columbus  determined  to  ex 
change  her  for  another,  if  he  could  find  one  at  the 
Canary  Islands. 

A   MONTH   AT  THE   CANARIES. 

The  expedition  was  detained  a  month  at  the 
Canaries  before  they  were  ready  to  put  to  sea 
again.  As  soon  as  the  other  two  vessels  were  safe 
in  port  Columbus  went  immediately  to  Teneriffe  to 
see  about  the  Pinta,  having  found  by  inquiry  that 
he  could  not  obtain  another  vessel  to  take  her 
place.  It  was  found,  moreover,  that  she  could  not 
proceed  to  Gomera,  but  must  be  repaired  where 
she  was.  So  they  looked  out  for  a  sheltered  place 
on  the  shores  of  Teneriffe,  and  there,  careening  her 
so  as  to  get  access  to  the  damaged  parts,  they  suc 
ceeded,  after  expending  a  great  deal  of  pains  and 
labor,  in  repairing  her. 

While  the  expedition  was  thus  detained  Colum 
bus  availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  to  inquire 
of  the  residents  upon  the  island,  and  of  the  various 
seafaring  men  whom  he  met  there,  in  regard  to 


FIRST   VOYAGE    OF    COLUMBUS.  67 

any  indications  of  land  to  the  westward  which  they 
had  observed  or  heard  of.  They  all  had  stories  to 
tell  of  rumors  in  respect  to  land  having  been  seen 
in  that  direction.  Columbus  listened  to  these  ac 
counts  with  great  interest,  but  they  all  proved  in 
the  end  to  be  fabulous. 

These  rumors  in  respect  to  land,  false  as  they 
were  proved  to  be  in  the  end,  were  encouraging  in 
their  influence  at  the  time,  but  there  were  others 
which  were  somewhat  alarming.  A  small  vessel 
came  from  the  island  of  Ferro,  which  lies  a  little  to 
the  southwestward  of  Gomera,  and  is  the  most 
westerly  island  of  the  group,  with  a  report  that  a 
squadron  of  Portuguese  vessels  was  lying  in  wait 
near  that  island  in  order  to  intercept  Columbus 
and  prevent  the  prosecution  of  the  voyage.  The 
motive  was,  it  was  said,  a  jealousy  on  the  part  of 
the  Portuguese  government  lest  the  Spaniards 
should  outstrip  and  supersede  them  in  the  work 
of  discovering  new  countries  to  the  westwara. 
Columbus  paid  no  attention  to  these  rumors,  and 
he  saw  nothing  of  any  such  squadron.  The  whole 
story  may  have  been  an  invention  of  his  sailors, 
many  of  whom  were  unwilling  to  proceed  on  the 
voyage,  and  seem  to  have  resorted  to  all  possible 
contrivances  to  thwart  and  prevent  it. 

While  the  expedition  remained  at  Gomera  they 


68  JOURNAL   OF   THE 

saw  some  grand  volcanic  eruptions  from  the  moun 
tains  of  Teneriffe. 

September  6.  The  expedition  sailed  from  Gom- 
era,  or  rather  attempted  to  sail,  on  the  morning  of 
this  day,  but  the  air  was  perfectly  calm  and  the 
sea  like  glass,  so  that  they  made  no  progress. 
They  were  drifted  about  this  way  and  that  by  the 
currents  all  that  day  and  all  the  night  following, 
so  that  on  the  morning  of  the  next  day  they  found 
themselves  between  Gomera  and  Tenerifie.  Thus 
they  had  gone  back  rather  than  forward. 

September  7.  The  calm  continued  and  the  ves 
sels  made  very  little  progress.  They  still  remain 
ed  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Canary  Islands. 

THE  VOYAGE  COMMENCED  IN  EARNEST  AT  LAST. 

September  8.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning 
a  fresh  breeze  sprung  up  from  the  northward,  and 
immediately  all  sails  were  set,  and  the  ships  began 
to  move  swiftly  through  the  water.  In  coming 
from  Portugal  to  the  present  position  of  the  ships 
the  expedition  had  been  navigating  seas  which  the 
sailors  were  already  familiar  with,  the  voyage  to 
and  from  the  Canaries  being  very  common  in  those 
days.  The  course  which  they  had  pursued,  as  will 
appear  from  the  chart,  lay  nearly  parallel  to  the 
coast  of  Africa,  and  not  very  far  from  it.  But 


VOYAGE  otf  COLUMBUS.  (59 


now  they  were  to  strike  out  in  an  entirely  new 
direction,  steering  due  West,  into  seas  wholly  un 
known,  and  it  was  consequently  not  until  this  time 
that  their  real  voyage  was  begun 

September  9.  The  wind  was  fresh  and  fair  and 
the  ships  went  on  at  great  speed.  The  sailors, 
finding  ho\v  rapidly  the  gale  was  bearing  them 
away  into  wholly  unknown  regions,  manifested 
som3  discontent,  and  Columbus,  in  order  to  dimin 
ish  as  much  as  possible  any  tendency  to  alarm 
which  they  might  feel,  began  to  adopt  the  plan  of 
reporting  on  the  log  of  the  vessel  a  considerably 
smaller  number  of  leagues  each  day  than  was 
actually  run.  lie  continued  this  system  all  the 
voyage.  He  kept  a  privat3  account  for  himself,  in 
which  he  entered  the  true  numbers,  but  he  showed 
to  his  men  another  account,  in  which  the  distance 
run  each  day  was  reduced,  as  much  as  he  thought 
it  would  bear  to  be  reduced  without  exciting  sus 
picion.  For  twenty  leagues  he  counted  only  six 
teen.  and  for  other  numbers  in  proportion.  Even 
his  pilots  were  deceived  by  these  false  returns 

He  probably  thought  that  this  was  all  right,  the 
deception  being  practiced  for  a  good  motive,  and 
being  in  some  respects  of  the  nature  of  a  stratagem 
of  war.  But  among  all  high-minded  and  honora 
ble  men  at  the  present  day  such  a  falsification  of 


TO  JOURNAL   OF  THE 

his  own  official  documents  by  the  commander  of  an 
expedition,  made  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  him  in 
the  discipline  of  his  crew,  would  be  considered  wholly 
inexcusable.  It  was  certainly  inconsistent  with  the 
exalted  sentiments  of  moral  duty,  and,  still  more, 
with  the  high  Christian  principles,  which  Columbus 
professed  to  entertain.  If  the  subordinate  members 
of  an  expedition  cannot  rely  upon  the  honesty  of 
documentary  statements  made  to  them  formally  by 
their  commander  in  his  official  character,  in  what 
case  can  they  confide  in  him  where  he  has  any 
interest  to  deceive  them  ? 

September  11  The  crews  of  the  ships,  of 
course,  kept  a  close  and  constant  lookout,  not  only 
in  the  direction  of  the  western  horizon,  for  land, 
but  also  in  every  direction  over  the  surface  of  the 
sea,  for  any  birds,  marine  animals,  sea-weed,  or 
floating  objects  of  any  kind  which  might  come  into 
view.  They  saw  several  objects  of  this  kind  on 
different  occasions,  but  on  this  day  they  were  all 
greatly  excised  ly  the  appearance  of  a  large  por 
tion  of  a  top-mast,  which  they  saw  floating  in  the 
water.  They  were  going  at  such  a  rate  of  speed, 
and  the  sea  was  so  high,  that  they  could  not  get 
the  mast,  and  they  were  obliged  to  content  them 
selves  with  watching  it  with  the  eye  as  long  as  it 
continued  in  sight.  It  was  probably  the  mast  of 


FIRST    VOYAGE   OF    COLUMBUS.  71 

some  vessel  which  had  been  wrecked  in  the  Euro 
pean  seas,  and  had  been  brought  out  to  this  dis 
tance  from  the  land  by  the  currents. 

VARIATION   OF   THE  NEEDLE. 

Sept.  13.  Of  course  the  vessels  were  steered 
by  the  compass,  and  whenever  the  sky  was  over 
cast  there  was  no  other  guide.  The  position  of  the 
sun,  however,  even  without  the  compass,  would 
have  helped  the  navigator  very  much  in  determin 
ing  his  course,  and  in  the  night  the  north  star 
furnished  a  means  of  guidance  which  could  be  still 
more  easily  followed.  And  as  it  was,  every  night 
when  the  stars  were  to  be  seen,  they  furnished  the 
means  of  verifying  the  indications  of  the  compass, 
so  long  as  they  were  true.  Thus  far,  whenever 
these  comparisons  between  the  direction  of  the 
needle  and  the  position  of  the  star  had  been  made 
by  night,  no  deviation  had  been  observed,  but  now 
Columbus  found,  to  his  great  uneasiness,  that  in 
stead  of  pointing  toward  the  north  star,  the  needle 
declined  from  it  very  sensibly  toward  the  north 
west. 

The  pilots  and  the  sailors  soon  observed  this 
phenomenon  too,  and  they  were  more  alarmed  by 
it  than  Columbus  had  been.  Columbus  himself 
had  felt  no  real  concern,  for  the  deviation  thua 


72  JOURNAL   OF  THE 

far  observed  could  be  of  no  serious  consequence, 
since  it  extended  only  to  a  very  few  degrees ;  and 
as  be  was  not  steering  for  any  determinate  point, 
but  only  wisbed  to  go  in  a  general  direction  toward 
the  westward,  a  change  of  a  few  degrees  in  bis 
course,  one  way  or  the  other,  would  be  of  little 
consequence.  If  he  should  find,  after  going  on  for 
some  days,  tbat  he  was  bringing  the  north  star  up 
too  high  in  the  evening  sky,  that  would  be  a  proof 
tbat  be  was  gradually  working  to  the  northward, 
and  then  he  could  turn  southward  a  little  more ;  or 
if,  on  the  other  hand,  he  found  the  north  star  de 
clining,  he  would  know  that  he  was  making  too 
much  southing,  and  could,  of  course,  by  steering 
more  to  the  northward  for  a  few  days,  get  back  to 
his  parallel.  So  long,  therefore,  as  the  needle 
varied  but  little,  and  was  steady  in  its  variation, 
so  that  the  pilots  could  steer  by  it  through  the 
day,  and  compare  it  with  the  north  star  occasion 
ally  at  night,  all  would  go  very  well. 

Sept.  17.  The  variation  still  continued.  To 
ascertain  precisely  how  great  the  deviation  was,  the 
pilots  took  the  exact  direction  of  a  north  and  south 
line  by  an  observation,  and  marked  it  carefully,  so 
as  to  compare  the  compasses  with  it.  They  found 
the  deviation  very  considerable.  Columbus,  how 
ever,  in  order  to  dispel  the  fears  of  the  officers  and 


VOYAGE  OF  COLUMBUS.  73 


crew,  and  acting  on  his  idea  that  he  was  justified 
?n  deceiving  them,  pretended  to  be  not  at  all  sur 
prised,  and  told  them  that  in  point  of  fact  the 
needle  did  not  vary  at  all.  It  was  the  north  star 
itself,  he  said,  that  moved.  The  star  was  only  due 
north  in  that  latitude  during  a  certain  portion  of 
the  twenty-four  hours,  and  if  they  were  to  deter 
mine  a  north  and  south  line  by  it  the  next  morn 
ing  at  daybreak,  they  would  find  that  the  compass 
was  right.  The  seamen  were  satisfied  with  these 
explanations,  and  as  the  sea  was  smooth  and  the 
winds  favorable,  and  moreover  as  now  every  day 
increasing  indications  of  land  appeared,  in  the 
floating  of  sea-weed,  the  flight  of  birds,  which  were 

O  O  ' 

now  and  then  seen,  and  other  such  signs,  the  whole 
company  were  in  excellent  spirits,  and  the  crews 
of  the  vessels  pressed  their  several  embarkations 
forward,  each  trying  to  get  in  advance  of  the  rest, 
in  order  to  be  the  first  to  discover  the  land. 

There  were  certain  appearances  in  the  clouds 
near  the  horizon  toward  the  north,  and  also  toward 
the  south,  which  the  sailors  thought  denoted  land. 
But  Columbus  would  not  turn  aside  to  ascertain 
the  fact.  "  Those  are  only  islands  that  lie  there/' 
said  he.  "  We  shall  have  time  enough  to  visit 
them  when  wo  come  back.  All  the  main  indications 
of  land  which  we  see  come  from  the  west,  where, 
4 


74  JOURNAL   OP   THE 

if  we  persevere,  and  if  it  please  Almighty  God,  on 
whom  all  success  and  all  victories  depend,  we  shall 
reach  the  shores  of  the  Indies." 


Sept.  21.  The  vessels  had  now  arrived  in  mid- 
ocean,  though  of  course  those  on  board  had  no 
means  of  knowing  how  far  they  might  be  from 
shore.  They  were  greatly  encouraged  to  hope 
that  they  might  be  drawing  toward  the  end  of  their 
voyage,  for  they  saw  many  indications,  as  they 
thought,  of  the  presence  of  land.  Great  quantities 
of  sea-weed  were  floating  in  the  water.  They  saw 
many  birds,  several  of  which,  of  a  kind  called  by 
the  English  sailors  boobies,  came  on  board  on 
different  days.  A  smaller  bird  too,  like  a  swallow, 
alighted  on  the  rigging,  and  the  sailors  caught  it. 
These  were  considered  proofs  that  land  was  near, 
though  in  fact  they  were  delusive  indications,  for 
the  ships  were  now  more  than  -a  thousand  miles 
from  any  land.  The  sea-weed  which  they  saw 
came  from  submerged  rocks  lying  somewhere  in 
those  regions,  or  else  was  brought  from  a  great  dis 
tance  by  the  ocean  currents.  Indeed,  it  is  now 
known  that  this  part  of  the  Atlantic  forms  the 
centre  of  an  immense  eddy  produced  by  currents 
flowing  in  different  directions  on  the  opposite  sides 


FIRST   VOYAGE   OF   COLtJMBtTS.  75 

of  it,  so  that  great  quantities  of  sea-weed,  and 
portions  of  wrecks  and  other  floating  substances 
continually  collect  in  it,  and  present  all  the  ap 
pearances  of  close  proximity  to  land. 

The  wind  gradually  declined  and  the  air  became 
calm,  and  for  one  or  two  days  the  vessels  lay  life 
less  upon  it.  No  land  appeared  yet  in  sight,  and 
the  sailors,  whose  spirits  fluctuated  with  every 
changing  feature  in  the  aspoct  of  the  scene  around 
them,  began  to  be  discontented  again,  and  much 
alarmed.  Nothing  is  more  discouraging  and  de 
pressing  to  any  company  on  board  a  ship  at  sea 
than  a  long-continued  calm.  An  idea  began  to 
prevail  among  the  men  on  board  the  ships  that  they 
were  getting  into  a  region  of  the  ocean  where  the 
wind  never  blew  at  all,  and  that  consequently,  if 
they  went  on  much  further,  they  would  never  be 
able  to  get  back.  This  notion  took  such  strong 
hold  of  their  minds  that  the  whole  crew  of  Colum 
bus'  ship  worked  themselves  into  a  great  state  of 
excitement,  and  were  almost  on  the  verge  of  mu 
tiny.  Their  fear,  however,  that  there  would  never 
be  any  more  wind  was  at  length  dispelled  by  the 
rising  of  a  strong  breeze,  which  suddenly  sprung 
up  from  the  west.  This  was  a  contrary  wind  in 
respect  to  the  progress  of  the  voyage,  but  it  came 
from  precisely  the  right  quarter  to  quiet  the  minds 


76  JOURNAL   OF   THE 

of  the  sailors,  since  it  blew  directly  back  toward 
Spain.  The  wind  drove  the  vessels  considerably 
to  the  northward  out  of  their  course,  as  will  be 
seen  by  the  chart,  but  Columbus  did  not  regret 
this  much,  on  account  of  the  favorable  influence 
which  the  circumstance  exerted  on  the  minds  of  the 
sailors. 

Sept.  23.  Again  it  fell  calm,  and  the  sailors' 
murmurs  returned.  They  discovered  a  new  source 
of  alarm  in  the  fact  that  where  they  then  were 
there  appeared  to  be  no  swell  of  the  sea,  as  is  usual 
in  the  open  ocean,  even  if  there  is  no  wind;  for 
ordinarily,  even  when  the  air,  for  the  time  being, 
is  calm  in  any  given  place,  the  water  is  agitated 
with  a  slow  and  solemn-moving  swell,  which  is 
formed  by  the  dying  undulations  which  come  from 
distant  storms.  There  was  now  none  of  this 
ground  swell,  the  sailors  observed,  and  they  con 
sidered  this  a  proof  that  there  were  none  but  light 
and  baffling  winds  in  the  region  of  the  sea  to 
which  they  had  penetrated,  and  that  they  were 
consequently  in  danger  of  becoming  hopelessly  be 
calmed  in  it. 

But  in  the  midst  of  their  fears  it  happened  that 
a  heavy  ground  swell  arose,  as  it  often  does  in  such 
cases,  and  without  any  wind.  This,  of  course,  at 
once  relieved  the  sailors'  fears,  and  revived  their 


FIRST  VOYAGE  OF    COLUMBUS.  77 

courage.  Columbus  said  that  he  was  thus  saved 
by  the  coming  in  of  a  heavy  swell  from  the  sea, 
and  it  was  the  first  time,  so  far  as  he  knew,  that 
any  such  case  had  occurred  since  the  days  when 
the  Israelites  were  saved  by  the  waves  which  over 
whelmed  the  Egyptians. 

FALSE   CRY  OF  LAND. 

Sept.  25.  This  evening,  about  sunset,  as  the 
ships  were  sailing  smoothly  and  quietly  along, 
suddenly  a  great  shout  was  heard  from  the  quarter 
deck  of  the  Pinta,  which  was,  as  usual,  sailing  a 
little  in  advance  of  the  others,  and  on  looking  in 
that  direction,  those  on  board  Columbus'  vessel 
saw  that  the  shouts  came  from  Martin  Pinzon 
himself,  the  commander  of  the  vessel,  who  was 
standing  upon  the  quarter  deck,  and  calling  out 
LAND  !  LAND  !  with  wild  and  earnest  gesticula 
tions,  expressive  of  the  utmost  exultation  and  de 
light.  Columbus  called  out  to  him  to  ask  if  he 
was  sure  that  it  was  land  that  he  saw.  He  said 
he  was  sure,  pointing  at  the  same  time  eagerly  in 
the  direction  where  he  thought  it  appeared. 

The  whole  crew  of  his  vessel  were  gazing  in 
tently  in  the  same  direction,  and  a  moment  after 
ward  they  commenced  singing  a  hymn,  the  GLORIA 


78  JOURNAL   OF  THE 

IN  EXCELSIS  of  the  mass.*  The  enthusiasm,  of 
course,  at  once  spread  to  the  other  vessels;  and 
the  crew  of  Columbus'  ship  were  soon  all  on  deck, 
and  as  Columbus  thought  he  could  also  now  see 
the  land,  he  gave  the  signal  to  them,  and  they 
sung  the  GLORIA  IN  EXCELSIS  too. 

As  the  shades  of  the  evening  drew  on,  the  ap 
pearance  of  land  became  indistinct,  and  at  length 
faded  away ;  but  the  vessels  were  all  steered  in 
the  direction  which  Pinzon  had  indicated,  every 
one  on  board  looking  out  eagerly  all  the  time,  and 
expecting  every  moment,  as  the  night  was  not 
dark,  to  bring  the  land  again  into  view.  They 
went  on  until  past  midnight,  and  then  slowly  and 
sorrowfully  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  had 
been  deceived,  and  that  there  was  no  land  to  be 
found. 

PROSPEROUS  CONTINUATION  OF  THE  VOYAGE. 

Oct.  8.  For  about  ten  days  after  the  incident 
of  the  false  announcement  of  land,  Columbus  ad 
vanced  on  his  voyage  in  a  very  agreeable  and  pros 
perous  manner.  The  sea  was  calm,  the  sky  serene, 
and  gentle  breezes,  bringing  with  them  a  soft  and 

*  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest.  The  hymns  and  prayers  of 
the  Catholich  church  were  then,  as  now,  expressed  hi  the  Latin 
tongue. 


FIRST    VOYAGE   OF    COLUMBUS.  79 

balmy  air,  wafted  the  vessels  smoothly  and  yet 
pretty  rapidly  along.  Birds  were  often  seen  flying 
to  and  fro,  and  sea-weed  in  great  abundance  con 
tinued  to  float  in  the  water.  The  sea,  moreover, 
was  so  smooth,  and  the  air  so  spring-like  and  de 
licious,  that  Columbus  said  that  nothing  but  the 
song  of  the  nightingale  was  wanting  to  make  them 
think  that  they  were  sailing  on  a  river  in  the 
midst  of  some  enchanted  land. 

Sometimes,  when  it  was  nearly  calm,  the  crews 
amused  themselves  with  fishing.  There  was  a  cer 
tain  kind  of  golden-headed  fish  called  the  dorado, 
of  which  they  caught  several,  and  some  days  they 
saw  great  numbers  of  flying-fish  skimming  through 
the  air  all  around  them.  At  one  time  a  booby 
came  and  alighted  in  the  rigging,  and  a  boy  who 
was  on  board  knocked  him  down  with  a  stone 
which  he  threw  at  him.  How  he  obtained  a  stone 
to  throw  the  journal  does  not  inform  us.  Perhaps 
the  ship  was  ballasted  with  shingle  taken  from  a 
beach. 

During  these  ten  days  the  sailors  on  the  whole 
were  pretty  well  contented,  though  the  pilot  of 
Columbus'  vessel,  who  had  kept  an  account  of  the 
false  reckonings  which  Columbus  had  given  him, 
said  one  day,  with  an  anxious  face  and  a  sigh,  after 
he  had  been  adding  them  up,  that  from  Ferro,  th<i 


80  JOURNAL    OF   THE 

last  of  the  Canary  Islands  toward  the  west,  to  the 
place  where  they  were,  the  distance  which  they 
had  run  was  no  less  than  five  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  leagues ! 

The  pilot  would  have  had  more  reason  still  for 
the  concern  which  he  felt  if  he  had  known  the  true 
reckoning,  for  the  real  distance  was  over  seven 
hundred  leagues.  Thus  the  expedition  was  more 
than  one  hundred  leagues  further  to  the  westward 
than  the  men  supposed. 

This  pilot  recommended  to  Columbus  to  turn 
more  to  the  southward,  as  the  indications  were 
strong,  he  said,  of  land  in  that  direction.  Colum 
bus  had  hitherto  been  unwilling  to  turn  aside  from 
his  course  for  any  such  purpose.  He  wished  to 
push  on  as  far  toward  the  westward  as  he  possibly 
could,  so  as  to  reach  the  actual  shores  of  conti 
nental  India  before  he  was  stopped.  But  now  the 
signs  of  land  became  so  numerous  that  he  deter 
mined  to  veer  to  the  southward  somewhat  more 
than  he  had  done,  and  accordingly  the  ship's 
course,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  chart,  was  now 
somewhat  changed. 


THE   MUTINY. 


October  10.     The  expedition  proceeded  on  the 
new  course  for  two  days,  but  no  land  was  to  b« 


FIRST   VOYAGE    OF    COLUMBUS.  81 

seen.  Indeed,  the  signs  and  tokens  of  the  prox 
imity  of  land  seemed  to  be  diminishing.  The 
sailors  began  again  to  be  discouraged,  and  they 
uttered,  both  among  themselves  and  in  the  pres 
ence  of  the  officers,  a  great  many  murmurings  and 
complaints.  At  last  they  said  plainly  that  the 
voyage  had  been  protracted  long  enough,  and  that 
they  would  not  go  any  further. 

Columbus  made  an  address  to  them,  endeavor 
ing  to  dispel  their  fears,  and  giving  them  very 
alluring  accounts  of  the  rich  reward  they  would  all 
obtain  in  the  treasures  which  they  would  find  in 
the  Indies  as  soon  as  they  reached  the  land.  He 
added,,  moreover,  in  conclusion,  that  whatever  they 
thought  of  their  situation,  they  must  content  them 
selves  as  well  as  they  could  and  make  the  best  of 
it,  for  he  had  set  out  upon  the  voyage  with  the  in 
tention  of  going  to  the  Indies,  and  he  was  deter 
mined,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  to  persevere  till  he 
reached  his  destination. 


DISCOVERY   OF   LAND. 


October  11.  On  this  day,  which  was  the  very- 
next  after  the  difficulty  with  the  seamen,  there 
suddenly  appeared  proofs  of  the  proximity  of  the 
land  far  more  decisive  than  any  which  had  yet 
been  observed.  The  sailors  saw  several  land  birds, 

4* 


82  JOURNAL    OF    THE 

a,nd  a  branch  of  a  tree  still  green,  and  also  a  piece 
of  wood  which  had  been  cut  with  some  sort  of  tool, 
and,  what  was  more  conclusive  still,  a  branch  bear 
ing  upon  it  something  like  berries,  which  had 
evidently  grown  upon  the  land,  and  which  could 
not  have  been  long  in  the  wTater.  Of  course,  all 
the  officers  and  men  on  board  of  the  several  vessels 
became  greatly  excited.  Everybody  was  looking 
out  with  the  utmost  eagerness,  all  anxious  to 
secure  the  prize  for  being  the  irst  to  see  the  land. 

After  sunset  Columbus  changed  the  course  of 
the  ships  more  to  the  westward  again,  supposing 
that  the  land  lay  to  the  southward  of  them,  and 
desiring  not  to  come  too  suddenly  upon  it  in  the 
night.  About  ten  o'clock,  as  he  was  standing 
upon  his  lookout  on  the  quarter-deck,  surveying 
the  horizon,  he  thought  he  saw  a  light.  He  called 
another  person  to  come  and  look  at  it,  and  he,  too, 
thought  it  was  a  light.  A  third  person,  who  was 
asked  to  look,  could  not  see  it,  and  presently  it 
disappeared.  It  afterward  came  into  view  again 
once  or  twice  and  seemed  to  be  moving. 

The  sailors  were  accustomed  to  have  a  religious 
service  on  board,  after  the  labors  of  the  day  and  of 
the  evening  were  over,  in  which  they  sang  together 
the  Ave  Maria,  a  chant  used  in  the  Catholic  wor 
ship.  After  the  close  of  the  service  on  this  eve- 


FIRST   VOYAGE    OF    COLUMBUS.  83 

ning  Columbus  announced  to  them  formally  that 
he  believed  they  were  now  very  near  the  land,  and 
advised  them  all  to  keep  a  careful  lookout  until 
morning.  He  promised  to  give  a  silk  doublet,  in 
addition  to  the  reward  which  had  been  offered  by 
the  king  and  queen  of  Spain,  to  the  one  who 
should  first  see  the  shore.  The  reward  which 
their  majesties  had  offered  was  a  pension  for  life, 
of  considerable  value. 

At  length,  at  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
a  cry  of  land  was  raised.  The  land  was  seen  first 
by  a  sailor  named  Rodrigo  de  Triana.  The  sails 
were  immediately  ordered  to  be  furled,  all  except 
one,  which  was  necessary  to  steady  the  vessel  in 
lying  to,  and  in  this  situation  they  all  waited  for 
morning. 

As  soon  as  it  became  light  the  shore  appeared  in 
full  view,  and  groups  of  savages  were  seen  upon 
the  beach,  gazing  at  the  vessels  with  every  mark 
of  wonder  and  admiration. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

SEQUEL      OF      THE      VOYAGE. 

PREPARATIONS    FOR   LANDING. 

As  soon  as  the  arrangements  could  be  made  Col 
umbus  prepared  to  land.  As  has  already  been  said, 
he  entertained  very  lofty  ideas  of  the  dignity  of  his 
mission,  and  of  the  exalted  rank  which  he  held  as 
governor  of  the  lands  that  he  had  discovered  and 
as  Lord  High  Admiral  of  the  seas,  and  he  deemed 
it  proper  that  the  act  of  landing  should  be  effected 
in  a  ceremonious  and  formal  manner.  He  accord 
ingly  dressed  himself  in  his  official  costume,  which 
was  of  a  very  rich  and  gorgeous  description,  and 
at  the  same  time  ordered  the  barge  to  be  armed 
and  made  ready.  The  barge  was  brought  along 
side  the  several  vessels  in  succession,  and  Colum 
bus,  with  the  two  other  commanders,  were  taken 
on  board.  Each  bore  in  his  hand  a  banner.  CoL- 
umbus  carried  the  one  which  had  been  borne  upon 
his  own  ship  as  the  flag  of  the  admiral.  All  the 
banners  were  embroidered  with  the  crowns  and 
initial  letters  of  the  king  and  queen  of  Spain. 


SEQUEL    OF   THE    VOYAGE.  85 

The  principal  secretaries  and  other  officers  of  the 
expedition  also  embarked  in  the  barge,  arid  a  suita 
ble  number  of  seamen,  some  of  whom  were  armed 
in  order  to  act  as  an  escort  for  the  party  and  a 
guard,  while  others  were  to  s?rve  as  oarsmen.  In 
this  manner  the  landing  party  left  the  ship  and 
proceeded  toward  the  shore. 

THE    CERE.MONY    OF    TAKING   POSSESSION. 

The  whole  party,  as  they  drew  toward  the  land, 
were  intently  occupied  in  gazing  at  the  scene 
which  met  their  view,  while  the  groups  of  natives, 
almost  naked,  that  were  gathered  on  the  beach 
watched  their  coming  with  a  still  stronger  expres 
sion  of  wonder  and  curiosity  depicted  upon  their 
countenances.  As  soon  as  the  boats  reached  the 
beach  Columbus  was  the  first  to  leap  to  the  shore. 
The  others  followed  him.  They  found  themselves 
in  the  midst  of  an  enchanting  scene  of  tropical 
verdure  and  beauty.  Before  them  were  groves  of 
trees  covered  with  a  dense  foliage  of  the  very 
richest  green,  and  fruits  and  flowers  of  new  and 
unknown  forms  were  growing  luxuriantly  around 
them. 

Columbus  advanced  a  short  distance  upon  the 
land,  and  then  taking  his  station  where  he  could 
be  seen  by  all,  he  summoned  the  officers  and  sea- 


86  SEQUEL    OF   THE   VOYAGE. 

men  who  had  come  on  shore  with  him  in  the  barge 
to  gather  around  him,  and  then  planting  the  staff 
of  his  banner  in  the  soil,  he  called  upon  all  present 
to  witness  that  he  fook  possession  of  that  land  in 
the  name  of  their  majesties  the  king  and  queen  of 
Spain. 

FORMING   ACQUAINTANCE    TTITH   THE   NATIVES. 

The  remainder  of  the  day  was  spent  in  making 
various  observations  and  in  forming  acquaintance 
with  the  natives.  Columbus  said,  in  an  account 
which  he  gave  of  these  transactions,  that  he  deter 
mined  to  treat  the  natives  kindly,  being  convinced 
that  they  could  be  brought  over  to  the  Christian 
faith  more  easily  by  kindness  than  by  force.  So 
he  distributed  among  them  some  gay-colored  caps, 
glass  beads,  little  bells  and  other  such  things  as 
he  had  brought  with  him  for  the  purpose,  all  of 
which  seemed  to  please  them  very  much,  and  they, 
in  return,  gave  Columbus  and  his  men  parrots  and 
balls  of  cotton  thread,  which  it  seems  they  had 
contrived  in  some  way  to  spin,  and  javelins,  which 
appeared  to  be  their  only  weapons  of  war. 

The  relations  thus  established  between  the  na 
tives  and  their  visitors  became  so  friendly  that  in 
the  course  of  the  day  many  of  the  former  swam  off 
to  the  ships  and  were  received  on  board,  where 


SEQUEL    OF   THE   VOYAGE.  87 

they  expressed,  so  far  as  their  exclamations  and 
gesticulations  could  be  understood,  the  utmost 
astonishment  at  everything  they  saw.  Of  course, 
there  could  be  no  communication  except  by  dumb 
show,  but  the  natives  were  very  willing  to  attempt 
to  pronounce  such  English  words  as  the  sailors 
gave  them,  and  they  succeeded  so  well  in  their 
efforts,  and  showed  so  much  docility  in  trying  to 
learn,  that  Columbus  was  convinced,  he  said, 
"that  they  could  all  be  made  Christians  with  very 
little  difficulty." 

They  were,  however,  very  poor,  and  apparently 
very  ignorant  and  helpless.  Columbus  saw  scars 
upon  the  persons  of  some  of  the  men,  and  he  asked 
by  signs  what  was  the  cause  of  them.  They  sig 
nified  in  reply  that  the  scars  were  from  wounds 
given  in  a  fight,  and  that  the  enemies  with  whom 
they  fought  came  from  some  other  islands  near. 
The  only  weapons,  however,  which  they  had  were 
the  javelins  above  spoken  of,  which  were  formed 
of  a  simple  shaft,  pointed  with  the  tooth  of  some 
animal.  They  seemed  to  have  no  idea  of  any  cut 
ting  tool  or  weapon  whatever,  for  when  Columbus 
showed  them  a  saber,  one  of  them  took  hold  of  it 
by  the  blade  and  cut  his  Land  with  it,  at  which  he 
and  all  the  others  seemed  inexpressibly  surprised. 


SEQUEL    OF   THE    VOYAGE. 


COLUMBUS   NOT   SATISFIED. 


Although  the  triumph  of  Columbus  was  now  in 
one  sense  complete,  his  expectations  and  promises 
in  regard  to  the  discovery  of  land  having  been 
fully  realized,  still  in  one  aspect  of  the  scene  be 
fore  him  he  was  far  from  being  satisfied,  and  that 
was  the  appearance  of  poverty  which  both  the 
country  and  the  people  presented.  He  had  sup 
posed  that  he  was  coming  to  the  Indies,  to  a  land 
rich  in  gold  and  gems,  and  in  every  other  species 
of  wealth  that  the  heart  could  desire.  A  great 
many  tales  had  been  told  by  travelers  who  had 
visited  India  by  the  route  over  land  through  Persia 
and  Arabia,  of  an  island  called  Cipango,  which 
lay  to  the  east  of  India,  and  was  said  to  be  full  to 
overflowing  with  every  species  of  costly  and  preci 
ous  treasure.  There  seems  to  have  been  no  limits 
to  the  credulity  of  people  in  those  days  in  respect 
to  the  wonderful  richness  of  the  east,  and  this 
island  of  Cipango  in  particular  filled  all  imagina 
tions  as  a  sort  of  enchanted  land  where  the  fabu 
lous  narratives  of  the  Arabian  Nights,  in  respect 
to  stores  of  golden  utensils  and  precious  gems  laid 
up  ifi  the  treasuries  of  princes,  and  vast  accumula 
tions  of  the  richest  merchandise  in  the  markets 
were  to  be  fully  realized.  It  is  now  supposed  that 


SEQUEL    OF   THE    VOYAGE.  89 

Japan  was  the  island  actually  referred  to.  under 
the  name  of  Cipango,  in  the  accounts  which  the 
travelers  received,  so  that  there  was  a  real  terri 
tory  to  serve  as  a  foundation  for  these  tales,  al 
though  the  pictures  which  they  presented  to  the 
imagination  were  all  splendid  illusions. 

Columbus'  mind  was  full  of  Cipango  when  lie 
discovered  land,  and  he  was  somewhat  disappointed 
to  find  that  although  the  country  of  which  he  had 
taken  possession  with  so  much  formality  was  beau 
tiful,  the  inhabitants  seemed  to  be  miserably  poor. 
They  were  willing  to  give  anything  that  they  pos 
sessed  for  a  nail,  or  a  glass  bead,  but  then  they 
seemed  to  have  nothing  to  give  but  parrots,  cot 
ton  balls,  and  rudely  made  javelins,  barbed  with 
bone. 

ASTONISHMENT   OP   THE   NATIVES. 

The  next  day  after  the  landing  the  number  of 
natives  upon  the  shore  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
vessels  greatly  increased — the  new  comers  doubtless 
having  been  drawn  to  the  spot  by  rumors  of  the 
arrival  of  the  strangers,  which  had  spread  into  the 
interior  and  along  the  coasts.  Some  came  in  boats 
which  were  made  of  logs  hollowed  out  by  fire. 
These  boats  were  of  various  sizes,  some  being  in 
tended  to  carry  only  one  man,  while  others  were 


90 


SEQUEL    OF    THE    VOYAGE. 


largo  enough  to  contain  forty  or  fifty.  The 
Spaniards  were  surprised  to  see  how  well  made 
these  boats  were,  and  how  fast  they  could  be  pro 
pelled  through  the  water.  They  were  navigated 
by  paddles  shaped,  as  Columbus  said  in  his  account 
of  them,  "  like  an  oven  shovel."  The  boats  were, 
however,  very  easily  upset,  and  whenever  one  of 
them  went  over  the  natives  all  leaped  out  into  the 
water,  and  then  righting  the  boat  they  bailed  out 
the  water  with  calabashes,  which  they  always 
carried  with  them  for  this  purpose,  and  clambered 
in  again.  There  were  no  clothes  to  be  dried  after 
such  an  accident  as  this,  for  the  men  were  all 
naked. 

Those  that  had  no  boats  found  no  difficulty  in 
swimming  off  to  the  vessels,  whenever  they  wished 
to  go  on  board. 

The  vessels  all  this  time  were  anchored  at  some 
distance  from  the  shore  of  the  island,  and  within 
the  reef.  The  water,  being  protected  by  the  reef, 
was  smooth,  and  so  perfectly  clear  that  the  bottom 
could  be  seen  at  a  great  depth. 

The  swell  of  the  sea  was  rolling  in  heavily  all 
the  time  against  the  outer  face  of  the  reef,  but  not 
disturbing  the  broad  expanse  of  sheltered  water 
within.  The  air  was  delightfully  serene.  The 
vegetation  which  adorned  the  shores  was  most 


SEQUEL   OP   THE   VOYAGE.  93 

luxuriant  and  beautiful.  The  natives,  some  as 
sembled  in  wondering  groups  upon  the  beach 
others  passing  to  and  fro  in  their  boats,  or  swim 
ming  through  the  water,  gave  an  aspect  of  joyous 
animation  to  the  scene,  while  the  vessels  of  the 
little  squadron  lay  sleeping,  as  it  were,  upon  the 
smooth  expanse  of  water  which  on  every  side  lay 
bordering  the  green  margin  of  the  land,  like  a 
silver  frame  encasing  a  pictured  landscape  of  in 
describable  verdure  and  beauty. 

The  whole  aspect  of  the  scene  was  enchanting, 
and  if  Columbus  could  have  but  seen  indications 
of  substantial  wealth  at  all  corresponding  with  the 
charming  tokens  of  natural  fertility  and  beauty 
which  everywhere  met  his  view,  all  the  aspirations 
of  his  heart  would  have  been  completely  satisfied. 

Columbus  watched  for  every  new  company  of 
Ravages  that  arrived  from  the  interior,  or  came  in 
boats  from  along  the  shore,  and  examined  carefully 
everything  that  they  brought,  and  especially  all 
the  ornaments  that  they  wore,  to  see  if  he  could 
find  any  gold.  At  last  he  found  a  small  piece  of 
this  metal  in  a  certain  ornament  that  one  of  the 
savages  wore.  He  made  inquiries  by  signs  where 
that  substance  came  from.  The  natives  answered 
by  signs  as  well  as  they  could,  and  after  much 
gesticulation  on  both  sides,  and  many  different  at- 


94  SEQUEL    OP   THE    VOYAGE. 

tempts  to  make  each  other  comprehend,  Columbus 
thought  that  they  meant  to  say  that  the  land  which 
they  were  then  upon  was  an  island,  and  that  there 
were  other  islands  near,  some  of  which  were  in 
habited  by  people  who  had  a  great  deal  of  gold. 
They  even  had  utensils  made  of  it.  This  idea  the 
speakers  conveyed  by  pointing  to  their  calabashes 
and  to  the  little  piece  of  gold  at  the  same  time, 
and  by  making  signs  to  represent  utensils  of  differ 
ent  forms.  They  also  gave  Columbus  to  under 
stand  that  if  he  went  on  round  their  island  to  the 
other  side,  and  then  sailed  south,  he  would  come  to 
one  of  the  islands  thus  supplied  with  gold. 

CRUISE    AMONG   THE   ISLANDS. 

After  remaining  a  day  at  the  place  where  he 
had  first  landed,  Columbus  set  sail  for  the  purpose 
of  cruising  along  the  shore,  in  order  to  make  new 
discoveries.  He  determined  to  take  some  of  the 
natives  with  him,  and  he  accordingly  seized  a 
number  of  those  who  came  on  board  and  detained 
them.  They  were  very  much  alarmed,  and  made 
every  effort  to  escape,  but  Columbus  kept  them 
closely  guarded,  though  he  endeavored  to  allay 
their  fears  by  making  signs  to  assure  them  that  he 
would  treat  them  kindly,  and  bring  them  back 
again  before  long  in  peace  and  safety. 


SEQUEL   OF    THE    VOYAGE.  95 

With  these  men  on  board  his  vessels  for  guides 
and  interpreters,  Columbus  went  on  along  the 
coast,  and  he  afterward  spent  two  or  three  months 
in  cruising  in  those  seas,  following  the  shores  of 
one  island  after  another  as  they  successively  came 
into  view,  and  looking  everywhere  for  gold.  His 
captive  guides,  by  means  of  signs  and  gestures, 
and  also  before  long  in  some  degree  by  language, 
for  they  were  very  docile  in  repeating  what  was 
said  to  them,  and  soon  began  to  learn  quite  a  num 
ber  of 'words,  directed  him  which  way  to  sail  to 
find  new  islands.  They  gave  him  to  understand 
that  the  islands  were  extremely  numerous  in  those 
seas,  and  Columbus  counted  up  more  than  one 
hundred,  the  names  of  which  they  knew  and  gave 
him. 

Whenever,  in  the  course  of  this  cruise,  the 
squadron  approached  any  new  coast,  the  natives 
came  down  to  the  beach  full  of  wonder  and  aston 
ishment,  as  they  had  done  at  the  first  island 
visited ;  and  then  when  the  boat  from  Columbus' 
ship  came  to  the  shore,  at  first  they  would  appear 
very  much  frightened  and  would  fly  in  all  direc 
tions.  But  they  were  usually  soon  induced  to  re 
turn,  and  friendly  relations  were  easily  established 
with  them.  When  once  a  good  understanding 
with  them  was  effected,  they  were  ready  to  barter 


96  SEQUEL    OF   THE    VOYAGE. 

anything  they  had  for  the  most  trifling  articles 
offered  them  by  Columbus,  but  the  commodities 
which  they  had  to  sell  were  very  few  and  of  very 
little  value.  Columbus  looked  out  everywhere 
very  eagerly  for  gold.  He  had  some  specimens 
with  him,  which  he  showed  to  the  natives  on  every 
island,  and  made  signs  to  them  to  inquire  whether 
they  knew  of  such  a  substance,  and  if  so,  where  it 
was  to  be  found. 

He  usually  obtained  favorable  answers  to  these 
inquiries,  but  the  place  where  the  gold  was  to  be 
found  was  always  at  a  distance.  They  told  him, 
by  signs,  of  course,  that  in  such  or  such  a  direc 
tion  there  was  an  island  where  there  was  a  king 
who  wore  clothes,  and  who  had  a  great  quantity  of 
gold.  The  gold  was  so  abundant  on  that  island, 
they  said,  that  the  people  had  necklaces,  and 
bracelets,  and  ear-rings,  and  other  ornaments  made 
of  it.  There  was  also,  they  said,  an  island  inhab 
ited  by  men  who  had  only  one  eye,  and  another 
where  the  faces  of  the  men  were  formed  into  a  sort 
of  snout  or  muzzle,  like  that  of  a  dog.  The  stories 
told  about  the  gold  were  obviously  entitled  to  very 
little  credit,  coming  as  they  did  in  connection  with 
marvelous  and  ridiculous  tales  like  these.  Still 
Columbus  and  his  men  more  than  half  believed 
them. 


SEQUEL   OF   THE   VOYAGE.  97 

SEARCH    FOR   SPICES. 

One  of  the  chief  elements  in  the  wealth  of  the 
Indies  consisted  in  the  spices  which  grew  there, 
supplies  of  which  had  heretofore  been  brought  to 
western  Europe  by  caravans  of  merchants  traveling 
overland.  In  order  to  facilitate  his  search  for 
these  precious  productions  in  the  countries  which 
he  should  discover,  Columbus  had  taken  the  pre 
caution  to  bring  specimens  with  him  to  show  to  the 
natives.  Accordingly  now,  wherever  he  landed, 
he  took  with  him  small  quantities  of  cinnamon, 
pepper  and  other  spices,  and  showed  them  to  the 
people,  making  signs  to  them  at  the  same  time  to 
inquire  whether  they  were  acquainted  with  those 
articles)  and,  if  so,  if  they  knew  where  they  grew. 
In  answer  to  these  inquiries  sometimes  the  Indians 
seemed  to  say  that  they  knew  nothing  about  them, 
and  at  other  times  they  indicated  places  where 
they  grew,  but  in  the  end  all  the  indications  failed, 
for  no  spices  could  be  found.  In  fact,  Columbus 
was  at  this  time  almost  at  a  distance  of  half  the 
circumference  of  the  globe  from  the  countries  in 
which  spice-bearing  plants  had  ever  grown. 

LANDING   UPON    CUBA. 

In   the   course  of  his  cruise  Columbus  reached 
the  island  of  Cuba,  and  he  explored  the  coast  of  it 


98  SEQUEL    OF    THE   VOYAGE. 

for  many  leagues.  The  extent  and  beauty  of  the 
island  had  been  represented  to  him  by  the  natives 
of  other  islands,  before  he  reached  it,  in  such 
glowing  colors,  that  he  had  believed  from  their 
accounts,  so  far  as  he  could  understand  them,  that 
it  must  be  Cipango  itself,  and  he  approached  its 
chores  with  his  hopes  and  expectations  exalted  to 
the  highest  pitch. 

He  entered  a  sort  of  bay  where  a  river,  coming 
down  from  the  interior,  emptied  into  the  sea. 
After  his  vessels  were  moored  he  took  his  boat  and 
rowed  some  distance  up  the  stream  to  view  the 
interior  of  the  country.  He  was  amazed  at  the 
exuberant  magnificence  and  beauty  of  the  scene 
which  presented  itself  to  his  view.  There  were 
forests  of  lofty  trees,  which  were  adorned  with  the 
richest  and  most  luxuriant  foliage,  and  banks  cov 
ered  with  beautiful  flowers,  and  birds  of  unknown 
forms  and  resplendent  plumage  flying  to  and  fro, 
and  water  so  pellucid  and  clear  that  the  boat,  in 
gliding  over  the  surface  of  it,  seemed  to  be  moving 
in  mid-air.  The  whole  scene  presented,  as  Col 
umbus  said,  a  spectacle  the  most  charming  that 
the  human  eye  had  ever  reposed  upon. 

AN   EMBASSAGE   SENT   INTO   THE   INTERIOR. 

At  one  time,  while  cruising  along  the  shores  of 


SEQUEL    OF   THE    VOYAGE.  99 

Cuba,  Columbus  obtained  information  which  seem 
ed  to  him  so  definite  in  respect  to  a  chief  or  king 
who  lived  at  some  distance  in  the  interior,  that  he 
determined  on  sending  an  embassage  to  his  court, 
lie  designated  two  of  his  ship's  company  on  this 
service.  The  name  of  one  was  Rodrigo  de  Jerez, 
and  of  the  other  Louis  de  Torres.  The  latter  was 
a  Jew.  and  he  was  selected  for  this  duty  on  ac 
count  of  his  attainments  as  a  linguist.  He  was 
acquainted  with  the  Hebrew  and  Chaldeo  lan 
guages,  and  he  had  some  knowledge  also  of  Arabic. 
Columbus,  acting  under  the  illusion  that  he  was 
upon  the  eastern  shores  of  India,  supposed  that 
these  languages  might  possibly  be  found  of  some 
service  in  communicating  with  the  natives  of  the 
country.  Two  of  the  Indians,  who  had  been  taken 
from  the  first  island  that  he  had  visited,  were  to 
go  too.  They  had  at  this  time  been  with  the  expe 
dition  for  several  weeks,  and  they  had  learned  so 
many  words,  and,  moreover,  had  become  so  accus 
tomed  to  communicating  with  the  Europeans  by 
signs,  that  they  were  likely  to  be  of  considerable 
service  as  interpreters. 

The  two  embassadors  were  provided  with  small 
pieces  of  gold,  and  also  with  specimens  of  spices,  to 
show  to  the  people  whom  they  should  see,  with  a 
view  to  inquiries  in  respect  to  the  existence  of  such 


100        SEQUEL  OF  THE  VOYAGE. 

substances  in  their  country.  They  were  also  in 
structed,  in  case  they  should  reach  the  capital  and 
gain  access  to  the  king,  to  represent  to  him,  as 
"Well  as  they  could  with  such  interpreters  as  they 
had,  or  by  signs,  that  Columbus,  their  chief,  had 
come  from  a  great  country  far  beyond  the  sea, 
called  Spain.  That  the  king  of  Spain,  who  was 
the  monarch  of  a  mighty  empire,  had  sent  Colum 
bus  with  a  present  and  a  letter  for  the  Indian 
king,  in  order  to  inquire  after  his  health  and  pros 
perity,  and  to  make  a  league  of  friendship  with  him. 

The  embassadors  were  also  provided  with  a 
*upply  of  necklaces,  strings  of  beads,  needles, 
bells  and  otb^r  such  things  which  were  to  be  used, 
!x)th  as  presents  to  conciliate  the  good  will  of  the 
People  they  might  visit,  and  also  as  a  medium  of 
exchange  to  procure  by  barter  from  the  natives 
thatever  they  might  require  for  their  own  personal 
^ants.  They  had  permission  to  extend  their  ab 
sence  to  six  days. 

In  due  time  the  embassage  returned,  bringing 
\>ack  a  long  account  of  savages,  and  rude  huts,  and 
a  village,  and  javelins  tipped  with  bone,  and  balls 
of  cotton  thread  for  sale — but  no  gold,  no  spices, 
and  no  king.  Nor  had  the  learned  Jew  found  any 
occasion  to  call  into  requisition  his  stores  of  Chal- 
daic  or  Arabic  lore. 


SEQUEL    OF   TIL  ft    VOYAGE.  10} 

GENERAL   TREATMENT   OF   THE   NATIVES. 

Columbus  treated  the  natives  generally  with 
great  kindness  wherever  he  went.  Whenever, 
on  approaching  a  new  island,  he  could  secure  one 
of  them  on  board  his  ship,  either  by  overtaking 
him  in  his  boat  far  away  from  land,  or  by  any 
other  mode,  he  would  take  care  that  he  should  not 
be  harmsd  in  any  way.  but  would  direct  the  sailors 
to  feast  him  with  such  food  and  drink  as  they 
thought  would  be  agreeable  to  him,  and  show  him 
all  about  the  ship.  lie  would  then  present  him 
with  a  number  of  gifts  and  set  him  free  again  in 
his  bout,  in  order  that  he  might  go  on  shore  and 
teU  his  countrymen  that  the  strangers  that  were 
coining  were  good  and  kind,  and  that  there  was  no 
occasion  to  be  afraid  of  them.  The  effect  of  this 
policy — for  Columbus  admitted  that  he  acted  thus 
from  considerations  of  policy  alone — was  to  allay 
all  the  fears  which  the  natives  of  the  islands 
would  otherwise  have  felt,  and  to  make  it  very 
easy  for  the  commanders  and  crews  of  the  vessels 
to  land  at  once  whenever  they  approached  any 
shore,  and  to  enter  immediately  into  the  most 
friendly  relations  with  the  natives. 

Columbus,  however,  did  not  recognize  any  title 
whatever  to  the  lands  which  they  occupied  in  the 
natives  themselves.  Wherever  he  landed  he  took 


102  SEQUEL   OF   THE    VOYAGE. 

possession  of  the  country  in  a  formal  manner  in 
the  name  of  the  king  and  queen  of  Spain,  and  he 
set  up  crosses,  made  of  planks,  at  all  these  stations, 
and  consecrated  them  with  the  most  solemn  cere 
monies,  as  if  he  were  acting  under  a  commission 
from  Jesus  Christ,  to  seek,  among  these  unknown 
islands  of  the  sea,  new  regions  to  be  added  to  his 
spiritual  kingdom.  Indeed,  there  was  a  strange 
incongruity  in  the  motives  which  seemed  to  actuate 
him  in  all  this  exploring  cruise  among  the  islands 
— an  exalted  religious  enthusiasm,  which  seemed 
sometimes  quite  sublime,  mingling  with  a  very 
eager  appetite  for  worldly  wealth  and  power. 
Crosses  arid  holy  banners  in  one  hour,  and  in  the 
next  Cipango,  spices  and  gold. 

KIDNAPPING   THE   NATIVES. 

During  the  whole  progress  of  this  expedition 
Columbus  seemed  to  have  thought  himself  author 
ized  by  a  divine  commission  to  set  aside  all  the 
ordinary  rules  of  justice  and  humanity  wiienever 
occasions  arose  in  which  the  success  of  his  mission 
might  thereby  be  promoted.  It  occurred  to  him. 
while  he  was  making  this  tour,  that  it  would  be 
well  to  take  some  of  the  natives  home  with  him  to 
Spain,  in  order,  first,  that  he  might  exhibit  them 
there  as  proofs  and  trophies  of  his  success,  and 


SEQUEL    OF   THE   VOYAGE.  103 

secondly,  that  they  might  learn  the  Spanish  lan 
guage,  and  so  become  interpreters  for  future  expe 
ditions.  Accordingly,  when  the  time  for  his  return 
to  Europe  began  to  draw  near,  as  he  was  passing 
along  the  shores  of  St.  Domingo  he  stopped  oppo 
site  the  mouth  of  a  small  river,  and  as  usual 
opened  friendly  communications  with  t!:e  natives. 
At  length.,  when  their  suspicions  and  fears  were 
entirely  allayed,  and  they  began  to  come  freely  on 
board  the  vessels,  he  selected  a  party  of  young 
men  who  came  out  together  in  a  boat,  and  when 
they  had  been  received  on  board  his  vessel  he 
enticed  them  below  and  made  them  all  prisoners, 
except  one  whom  lie  allowed  to  return  to  the  shore 
with  the  boat. 

Immediately  afterward,  thinking,  as  he  said, 
that  it  would  make  the  young  men  feel  more  con 
tented  with  their  lot  in  being  taken  to  Europe 
against  their  will  if  they  had  wives  to  go  with 
them,  he  sent  on  shore  upon  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  where  there  was  a  village,  and  caused  seven 
women  and  three  children  to  be  seized,  all  of  whom 
were  brought  on  board  and  held  as  prisoners,  to 
gether  with  the  men. 

The  next  day  the  husband  of  one  of  the  women 
came  out  to  the  vessel  and  begged  that  if  his  wife 
could  not  be  released  he  might  be  taken  too,  to  go 


104  SEQUEL    OF    THE    VOYAGE. 

with  her.  To  this  Columbus  agreed,  and  the  man 
was  received  on  board. 

It  was  said  that  in  a  day  or  two  all  the  prison 
ers  seemed  tolerably,  contented  with  their  fate.  It 
is  possible  that  they  might  have  been  really  so,  for 
it  seems  they  thought  that  they  were  going  to  be 
taken  to  h$£JHPl  It  was  the  general  impression 
among  the  natives  on  all  these  coasts  that  the 
strangers  had  come  down  from  the  skies,  and  were 
going  to  return  thither  again.  They  seem  to  have 
imagined  that  the  vessels  were  of  the  nature  of 
immense  aquatic  birds  that  had  descended  from 
mysterious  regions  in  the  upper  air,  and  alighted 
upon  the  water,  where,  having  folded  their  wings, 
they  were  now  reposing,  and  that  after  moving  for 
a  time  slowly  along  the  coasts,  till  they  had  ac 
complished  the  objects  of  their  visit,  they  would  go 
back  as  they  came,  by  ascending  into  the  air. 

It  would  seem,  however,  that  the  contented 
spirit  which  the  captives  manifested  was,  after  all, 
only  assumed  for  the  purpose  of  putting  their  cap 
tors  off  their  guard,  for  a  few  days  after  they  were 
taken  two  of  the  young  men,  watching  their  op 
portunity,  leaped  overboard  and  swam  ashore. 

Columbus  justified  his  seizing  the  women,  in 
order  to  furnish  the  other  prisoners  with  wives,  by 
an  argument  which  showed  how  utterly  regardless 


SEQUEL    OF    TIIE    VOYAGE.  105 

he  was  of  all  the  rights  of  the  natives  whenever 
the  supposed  interests  of  the  expedition,  or  of  his 
plans  of  discovery,  came  in  conflict  with  them. 
lie  says  that  negroes  from  the  Portuguese  settle 
ments  iii  Africa  had  several  times  been  taken  m 
this  way  and  carried  to  Portugal,  where  they  had 
learned  the  language,  and  then  had  afterward  been 
taken  back  to  Africa  by  other  expeditions,  with  a 
view  of  being  made  useful  as  interpreters.  But 
always  in  such  cases,  as  soon  as  the  prisoners 
reached  the  African  shores  again,  they  invariably 
took  the  first  opportunity  to  make  their  escape, 
and  were  thenceforth  heard  of  no  more;  and  if,  in 
order  to  prevent  these  escapes,  the  men  were  kept 
confined,  very  little  use  could  be  made  of  them  as 
guides  and  interpreters. 

The  idea  which  Columbus  now  entertained  was, 
that  in  the  course  of  the  voyage,  and  during  their 
stay  in  Portugal,  the  men  whom  he  had  taken 
would  form  matrimonial  connections,  more  or  less 
regular,  with  the  female  captives,  and  then  when 
he  brought  them  back  to  their  native  islands  again 
he  could  maintain  a  strong  hold  upon  them  by  re 
taining  their  wives  and  children  on  board  the  ships 
while  they  themselves  were  engaged  on  shore  in 
discharge  of  their  duties. 


106        SEQUEL  OF  THE  VOYAGE. 


VISIT    FROM   A   CAZIQUE. 

At  one  time,  while  the  ships  of  Columbus  were 
lying  off  the  shore  of  St.  Domingo,  a  native  chief 
tain,  called  a  cazique,  came  on  board  to  pay  the 
strangers  a  visit.  He  was  naked,  but  he  came  in 
great  state — being  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  four 
men,  in  a  sort  of  palanquin  or  litter  made  of  poles, 
and  attended  by  a  guard  of  two  hundred  retainers. 
He  came  off  to  Columbus'  ship  in  his  own  boat, 
and  on  coming  on  board  he  was  conducted  at  once 
into  the  cabin,  where  Columbus,  as  it  happened, 
was  at  that  time  taking  his  dinner.  The  men  who 
came  with  him,  excepting  two,  remained  outside, 
sitting  on  the  deck,  before  the  cabin  door.  The 
cazique,  when  he  had  entered  the  cabin,  was  in 
vited  to  take  a  seat,  and  he  did  so.  The  two  who 
came  in  with  him — his  prime  minister  and  his  sec 
retary,  as  was  supposed — sat  down  at  his  feet  upon 
the  floor,  and  watched  him  all  the  time,  as  if 
ready,  on  the  instant,  to  obey  any  command  that 
he  might  give  them. 

Refreshments  were  offered  the  cazique,  both 
food  and  drink.  He  merely  tasted  of  what  was 
given  him,  and  then  sent  the  dish  or  the  vessel  to 
his  men  outside,  who  ate  and  drank  the  whole  with 
great  eagerness.  The  cazique  seemed  exceedingly 


SEQUEL    OF   THE    VOYAGE.  107 

interested  in  everything  that  he  saw,  and  Colum 
bus  presented  him  with  many  of  the  articles 
which  particularly  attracted  his  attention.  Among 
them  was  a  curtain  which  hung  before  a  berth  in 
the  cabin,  a  pair  of  shoes  made  of  a  certain  colored 
stuff,  some  amber  beads,  a  phial  containing  orange- 
flower  water,  and  other  such  things. 

The  cazique  was  extremely  delighted  at  receiv 
ing  the^e  gifts.  He  talked  and  gesticulated  a  great 
deal,  and  seemed  very  much  distressed  that  Colum 
bus  could  not  understand  what  he  wished  to  say. 

Columbus  showed  him  the  effigies  of  Ferdinand 
and  Isabella  on  a  coin,  and  made  signs  denoting 
that  those  were  the  heads  of  his  sovereigns.  He 
also  endeavored  to  communicate  to  him,  by  signs, 
an  idea  of  the  great  extent  and  power  of  the  king 
dom  over  which  these  rulers  held  sway. 

At  length,  when  night  began  to  come  on,  and 
the  cazique  signified  that  it  was  time  for  him  to 
withdraw,  he  was  dismissed  with  honor,  being  sa 
luted  at  his  departure  by  discharges  of  musketry. 
He  went  on  shore  in  his  boat,  and  was  there  re 
ceived  by  his  escort  and  borne  away  as  he  came, 
on  his  palanquin. 

DISASTERS. 

Everything   went    prosperously  and    well    with 


108  SEQUEL    OF   THE    VOYAGE. 

the  expedition  from  the  first  discovery  of  land, 
early  in  October,  for  more  than  two  months ;  but 
at  length,  toward  the  latter  part  of  December, 
Columbus  encountered  a  train  of  very  serious  dis 
asters.  The  first  stroke  came  upon  him  suddenly, 
like  a  thunder-clap  out  of  a  clear  sky. 

It  was  on  Christmas  day,  the  twenty-fifth  of 
December.  His  vessels  had  been  sailing  along  the 
coast  for  several  days,  and  as  usual  in  sucji  cases 
lie  had  himself  been  constantly  on  deck,  making 
observations  upon  the  land,  and  at  last,  about 
eleven  o'clock  at  night,  on  the  above  named  day, 
observing  that  the  way  was  clear  for  some  dis 
tance  forward,  and  that  the  sea  was  smooth,  he 
went  below,  leaving  the  pilot  in  charge  of  the 
helm. 

In  about  an  hour  he  was  awakened  by  hearing 
a  loud  call  upon  the  deck.  He  rushed  up  the 
gangway  and  found  that  the  vessel  was  aground. 
The  pilot,  it  seems,  as  the  commander  had  gone 
awray  and  everything  was  quiet,  had  concluded  to 
take  a  little  rest  himself,  and  he  had  put  the  helm 
into  the  hands  of  a  boy,  directing  him  how  to 
steer,  arid  had  then  lain  down  and  gone  to  sleep. 
The  boy  remained  a*t  the  helm,  but  either  on  ac 
count  of  some  current  which  drifted  the  vessel  out 
of  its  course,  or  else  from  not  understanding  Jiis 


SEQUEL    OF    THE    VORAGE.  109 

duty,  or  perhaps  getting  sleepy,  and  thus  not  pro 
perly  attending  to  it,  he  allowed  the  vessel  to  work 
too  near  the  reef.  lie  was  at  length  aroused  from 
his  reveries  by  feeling  the  rudder  strike  upon 
something  below,  arid  immediately  afterward  he 
heard  the  sound  of  the  breakers  alongside.  lie 
was  greatly  alarmed  and  called  out  for  help,  and 
Columbus,  who  was  always  on  the  alert,  was  the 
first  to  answer  to  the  summons.  The  vessel  went 
upon  the  rocks  so  gently  that  nobody  perceived  it 
when  she  struck. 

She  was  now,  however,  fixed  to  the  spat,  though 
she  rose  and  fell  gently  with  the  swell,  as  she  lay 
upon  the  rocks.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  in 
such  a  case  is  always  to  send  out  an  anchor  astern, 
and  then  by  means  of  the  windlass  or  the  capstan 
endeavor  to  draw  the  vessel  off  from  the  rocks  into 
deep  water  again.  This  Columbus  attempted  to 
do.  He  ordered  a  boat  to  be  lowered  and  an 
anchor  to  be  put  into  it,  and  then  directed  the 
second  officer  and  a  suitable  number  of  men  to  get 
on  board  and  row  back  into  deep  water,  in  order 
to  set  the  anchor  there. 

But  the  second  officer  seemed  to  think  that  this 
was  a  case  in  which  each  man  was  justified  in  look 
ing  out  for  himself  so  instead  of  going  out  with 
the  anchor,  he  turned  his  boat,  as  soon  as  he  got 


110  SEQUEL    OF   THE   VOYAGE. 

clear  of  the  vessel,  and  pulled  off  toward  the  Nina, 
which  was  very  near.  The  Pinta  had  been  sepa 
rated  from  the  rest  of  the  squadron  some  time  be 
fore,  and  no  one  knew  what  had  become  of  her. 
The  Nina,  therefore,  afforded  the  only  hope  of 
escape  for  the  whole  party  in  case  of  the  Sancta 
Maria  becoming  disabled. 

But  the  commander  of  the  Nina  would  not 
allow  the  deserters  to  come  on  board.  He  ordered 
them  back  to  their  duty.  At  the  same  time  he 
sent  his  own  boat,  with  a  crew  of  able-bodied  men, 
to  the  aid  of  Columbus. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  tide  was  falling,  and  the 
Sancta  Maria  began  to  settle  over  upon  her  side. 
The  masts  were  immediately  cut  away  to  relieve 
her,  but  to  no  avail.  The  seams  soon  began  to 
open  and  water  came  in.  Columbus  was  obliged 
to  abandon  her  for  fear  that  she  would  go  to  pieces 
before  morning  with  all  on  board.  So  he  took  the 
men  off  in  the  boats  to  the  Nina,  which  was  lay- 
ing-to  as  near  as  possible  to  the  wreck,  and  waited 
for  day. 

CONSEQUENCES   OP    THE   LOSS   OP   THE    SANCTA    MARIA. 

Early  in  the  morning  Columbus,  finding  that  his 
vessel  was  a  total  wreck,  sent  messengers  to  a 
chieftain  who  lived  on  the  island  not  far  from  the 


SEQUEL   OF  THE   VOYAGE.  Ill 

spot,  to  inform  him  of  the  calamity  which  hac| 
befallen  him.  The  chieftain  immediately  came 
down  to  the  beach  and  repaired  on  board  the  Niiia, 
and  there  expressed  to  Columbus  the  utmost  pos 
sible  concern  for  his  misfortune,  tendering  at  the 
same  time  every  assistance  that  was  in  his  power. 
He  set  apart  several  large  huts  en  the  shore  to  re 
ceive  and  shelter  the  men,  and  he  offered  to  pro 
vide  boats  for  removing  the  cargo  of  the  ship  to 
the  land.  These  promises  were  fulfilled  in  the 
most  faithful  manner,  both  on  the  part  of  the  chief 
himself  and  on  that  of  all  his  subjects.  The 
natives  went  to  work  in  the  most  earnest  manner 
to  help  the  strangers  in  their  distress.  The  goods 
on  board  the  wreck  were  mostly  saved,  and  were 
transferred  to  the  shore,  where  they  were  all 
placed  in  safety  and  under  shelter ;  and  accommo 
dations,  as  comfortable  as  the  nature  of  the  case 
would  admit  of,  were  provided  for  the  men  until 
there  should  be  time  to  decide  what  to  do. 

The  result  was  that  Columbus  came  to  the  con 
clusion  that  ho  could  not  safely  undertake  to  trans 
port  all  his  men  back  to  Spain  in  the  Nina,  which 
was  now  the  only  vessel  that  remained.  So  he 
determined  to  build  a  sort  of  fort  upon  the  land, 
and  leave  a  part  of  his  company  there  in  charge  of 
the  stores  saved  from  the  wreck,  until  he  should 


112  SEQUEL    OF   THE   VOYAGE. 

have  time  to  proceed  to  Spain  and  return  with 
men  and  supplies  sufficient  for  the  establishment 
of  a  regular  colony. 

CONCLUSION  OF  THE   VOYAGE. 

Columbus  readily  obtained  the  consent  of  the 
native  chief  that  he  should  build  a  fort  upon  his 
territory,  and  he  had  no  difficulty  in  inducing  a 
sufficient  number  of  men  to  consent  to  remain  as 
the  garrison  of  it.  He  accordingly  marked  out 
the  boundaries  of  a  sort  of  camp,  and  his  men, 
with  the  help  of  the  natives,  dug  a  ditch  about  it 
and  inclosed  it  with  a  strong  palisade.  They  also 
raised  a  rampart  and  placed  upon  it  the  guns  saved 
from  the  wreck.  Within  this  fortress  he  deposited 
all  the  stores  which  he  was  intending  to  leave. 
Huts  were  built,  both  to  shelter  the  goods  and  also 
to  serve  as  dwellings  for  the  men.  Columbus 
appointed  a  certain  gentleman  named  Diego  do 
Arado  to  the  command  of  this  little  colony  during 
his  absence,  and  soon  afterward,  taking  all  the 
rest  of  the  company  with  him  on  board  the  Nina, 
he  set  sail  for  Spain. 

Of  the  incidents  and  adventures  which  he  met 
with  on  his  voyage  home — of  his  meeting  with  the 
Pinta  again  after  a  long  separation,  and  thus  being 
able  to  relieve  in  some  decree  the  crowded  con- 


SEQUEL    OF   THE    VOYAGE.  113 

dition  of  the  Nina — of  the  terrible  storm  which  he 
encountered  when  he  began  to  draw  near  to  the 
European  shores — of  his  retiring  to  his  cabin  when 
all  hope  of  being  saved  seemed  to  disappear,  and 
writing  there  upon  parchment  a  brief  account  of 
discoveries,  with  directions  for  others  to  follow  in 
order  to  reach  the  shores  that  he  had  found,  and 
inclosing  the  writing  first  in  oil  cloth,  and  then  in 
a  cake  of  wax,  and  finally  in  a  cask,  which,  after 
being  carefully  closed,  was  thrown  into  the  sea — 
of  the  subsequent  subsiding  of  the  storm  and  happy- 
escape  of  the  vessels  from  their  great  danger — of 
their  touching  at  the  Azores,  and  finally,  by  stress 
of  weather,  being  forced  to  make  a  port  in  the 
mouth  of  the  Tagus — of  Columbus1  going  up 
thence  to  Lisbon,  and  being  received  very  honora 
bly  by  the  king  of  Portugal — and  finally,  of  his 
sailing  again  from  the  Tagus  and  arriving  safely  at 
Palos,  the  port  from  which  he  had  departed  about 
eight  months  before,  and  of  the  universal  joy  and 
enthusiasm  with  which  he  was  received,  the  ring 
ing  of  bells,  the  firing  of  cannon,  and  the  grand 
processions  with  which  the  great  discoverer  was 
conducted  through  the  to\vn — of  all  these  things, 

O  CD     ' 

as  well  as  of  the  many  other  wonderful  adventures 
which  befell  him  in  his  subsequent  voyages,  and 
the  extraordinary  reverses  which  he  encountered 


SEQUEL    OF   THE    VOYAGE. 

in  the  course  of  his  eventful  life,  we  cannot  speak 
particularly  here.  It  is  time  to  leave  Columbus 
and  pass  on  to  scenes  and  incidents  more  directly 
connected  with  the  progress  of  discovery  on  that 
portion  of  the  continent  which  is  the  special  scene 
of  the  events  to  be  narrated  in  these  volumes. 


CHAPTER    Y. 

DISCOVERY    OF    XORTI-I    AMERICA. 
SEBASTIAN    CABOT. 

AMONG  the  earliest  and  most  celebrated  of  the 
navigators  who  followed  Columbus  in  the  track 
which  he  opened  to  the  world  across  the  Atlantic 
was  Sebastian  Cabot,  whose  name  figures  quite 
conspicuously  in  the  history  of  the  time,  from  the 
fact  that  he,  in  connection  with  his  father,  was  the 
first  to  discover  and  explore  the  coasts  of  North 
America.  Cabot  made  his  voyages,  too.  under  the 
authority  of  the  king  of  England,  as  Columbus 
had  done  under  that  of  the  king  of  Spain.  And 
thus,  while  all  the  countries  lying  in  the  central 
portion  of  the  continent  were  taken  possession  of 
in  the  name  of  Spain,  and  became  subject  to  the 
Spanish  dominion,  Cabot  planted  the  English  flag 
upon  the  more  northern  portions  of  the  continent, 
and  from  this  it  resulted  that,  in  process  of  time, 
they  became  the  seat  of  English  colonies. 

The  Anglo-Saxon  populations,  therefore,  that  at 
the  present  day  thrive  so  prosperously  in  all  the 


116  DISCOVERY    OF   NORTH    AMERICA. 

northern  portions  of  the  new  world,  look  back  to 
Cabot  as  the  great  precursor  and  pioneer  of  the 
thirty  or  forty  millions,  now  established  on  this 
continent,  that  speak  the  English  tongue. 

THE    CAEOT    FAMILY. 

And  jet  Cabot  was  not  an  Englishman — at 
least  he  was  not  of  English  parentage.  His 
father,  like  all  the  other  principal  navigators  of 
those  times,  was  an  Italian.  He  received  his 
nautical  education  upon  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 
Both  father  and  son  seem  to  have  been  plain  and 
unpretending  merchants  and  navigators,  intent  on 
making  their  voyages,  and  not  concerning  them 
selves  much  about  preserving  records  of  them.  It 
was  sufficient  for  them  to  enjoy  the  satisfaction  at 
the  time,  of  roaming  about  the  world  in  search  of 
adventures  and  discoveries,  and  of  the  means  of 
acquiring  wealth.  They  seem  to  have  thought 
very  little  of  the  interest  that  posterity  would  feel 
in  learning  the  particulars  of  their  exploits.  The 
consequence  was  that  they  left  no  detailed  account 
either  of  what  they  did  or  of  what  they  saw,  and 
the  only  information  now  possessed  in  regard  to 
them  comes  from  various  disconnected  sources.  In 
fact,  it  is  due  rather  to  fortunate  accident  than  to 
any  other  cause  that  any  memorials  whatever  of 


DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA.  117 

their  first  voyages  have  been  preserved.  It  is 
said,  however,  that  the  Cabots  did  not  wholly 
neglect  the  duty  of  preserving  a  record  of  their 
adventures  for  the  instruction  of  posterity,  as 
Sebastian  left  behind  him  at  his  death  a  considera 
ble  number  of  charts,  journals  and  other  docu 
ments,  which  were  intended  for  publication.  But 
in  some  way  or  other  this  intention  failed  of  being 
carried  into  effect.  None  of  these  records  are  now 
known  to  exist. 

GENERAL    INTEREST   AWAKENED   IN    CCLUMBUS'    DISCOVERIES. 

Of  course,  as  soon  as  Columbus  returned  from 
Lis  first  voyage  and  reported  his  having  crossed 
the  ocean  and  discovered  land  so  far  on  the  way 
toward  India,  the  news  spread  rapidly  through  all 
the  seaports  in  Western  Europe,  and  all  seafaring 
men  occupied  themselves  with  discussing  the  innu 
merable  questions  which  at  once  arose.  The  va 
rious  governments,  too,  of  Western  Europe  were 
greatly  interested  in  these  discoveries,  and  each  of 
them  began  to  form  designs  of  sending  out  expedi 
tions  to  find  new  lands,  and  to  take  possession  of 
them  in  their  own  name. 

Among  the  seafaring  men  whose  attention  was 
strongly  attracted  to  this  subject  was  John  Cabot, 
Sebastian's  father.  He  was,  as  has  already  been 


118  DISCOVERY    OF   NORTH    AMERICA. 

said,  an  Italian,  but  he  was  at  this  time  residing 
with  his  family  in  Bristol,  in  England,  which  was 
then,  as  now,  a  very  important  seaport.  He  came 
to  Bristol  from  Venice,  where  he  had  previously 
lived  for  fifteen  years.  This  has  been  shown  by 
certain  registers  remaining  among  the  public  ar 
chives  at  Bristol,  which  historians  had  the  curiosity 
to  examine  long  after  Cabot's  day,  when  the  world 
began  to  feel  an  interest  in  being  informed  in  re 
spect  to  his  origin. 

John  Cabot  received  the  news  of  Columbus'  dis 
coveries  at  Bristol,  and  he  immediately  began  to 
study  his  charts  and  his  globe,  and  to  speculate  on 
the  best  track  to  be  followed  for  reaching  India. 
He  became  convinced  that  the  route  which  Colum 
bus  had  pursued — that  is,  in  a  direction  due  west 
from  Europe — was  not  the  best  course.  It  might 
be  supposed  by  one  who  has  not  examined  the  sub 
ject  attentively,  that  if  two  places  lie  on  nearly 
the  same  parallel  of  latitude,  as  is  the  case,  for 
example,  substantially,  with  the  eastern  coast  of 
Central  Asia  and  Spain,  the  nearest  way  to  reach 
one  from  the  other  would  be  to  sail  exactly  east  or 
west.  But  this  is  not  the  fact,  as  may  be  demon 
strated  very  easily  by  means  of  a  globe.  The 
shortest  distance  from  New  York  to  Havre,  for 
instance,  as  will  appear  by  stretching  a  thread 


DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA.  119 

upon  the  globe  from  one  of  these  points  to  the 
other,  will  pass  considerably  to  the  northward  of 
either  of  them.  In  the  same  manner  the  most 
direct  course  from  the  center  of  Spain  to  the  mid 
dle  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  in  the  same  latitude — 
which  was  about  the  region  where,  in  those  days, 
the  eastern  shores  of  India  were  expected  to  be 
found — lies,  not  through  the  region  of  the  West 
India  islands,  where  Columbus  had  been  seeking  it, 
but  through  the  very  heart  of  Greenland  ! 

By  an  inspection  of  the  map  this  does  not 
appear  to  be  so,  but  by  stretching  a  thread  from 
one  point  to  the  other  on  the  globe  it  will  be  made 
very  clear. 

Persons  making  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  to 
Liverpool,  when  they  find,  as  they  sometimes  do. 
from  the  daily  report  of  the  latitude  and  longitude 
made  by  the  captain,  that  they  are  actually  further 
to  the  north  than  the  northern  extremity  of  Ireland, 
are  very  much  surprised ;  and  having  no  globe 
at  hand  to  correct  the  erroneous  impressions  ob 
tained  from  maps,  can  hardly  be  persuaded  that 
the  ship  has  not  gone  out  of  her  way.  The  fact  is 
that  the  most  direct  line  from  New  York  to  Liver 
pool  passes  through  a  part  of  Newfoundland,  and 
thence  continues,  crossing  the  parallels  of  latitude, 
till  it  reaches  a  point  far  to  the  northward  of  the 


120  DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA. 

port  of  destination,  after  which  it  declines  to  the 
southward  again  as  it  approaches  the  port. 

John  Cabot,  Sebastian's  father,  in  reflecting 
upon  these  and  similar  facts,  convinced  himself 
that  the  true  way  of  endeavoring  to  find  a  passage 
to  India  was  to  sail  much  further  to  the  northward 
than  Columbus  had  done,  and  he  began  at  once  to 
endeavor  to  obtain  from  the  English  government 
the  means  of  making  an  expedition.  He  succeeded 
in  this,  it  seems,  though  nothing  is  known  of  the 
steps  that  he  took,  or  of  the  difficulties,  if  any, 
which  he  encountered.  He  received  from  Henry 
the  Seventh,  who  was  then  king,  a  formal  commis 
sion  to  proceed  on  the  voyage,  and  to  take  posses 
sion  of  all  the  lands  that  he  should  discover,  in  the 
king's  name. 

THE   LETTERS  PATEXT. 

The  letters  patent*  received  by  Cabot,  the 
father,  were  written,  as  such  documents  usually 
were  in  those  days,  in  Latin.  It  will  be  interest 
ing  and  useful  to  the  reader  to  see  one  specimen 
of  the  sort  of  commissions  which  these  ancient  navi 
gators  received  from  their  respective  governments ; 

*  The  word  patent  means  open.  Letters  patent  are  letters 
open  to  all  the  world,  that  all  who  see  them  may  govern  them 
selves  accordingly. 


DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA.  121 

and  we  accordingly  give  this  one  in  full,  as  found 
translated  into  the  English  of  that  day,  in  the  old 
black  letter  folios  in  which  such  annals  were  re 
corded  in  those  times  : 


The  Letters  Patents  of  King  Henry  the  Seventh 
granted  vnto  lohn  Cabot  and  his  three  sonnes,  Lewis, 
Sebaftian  and  Sancius,  for  the  discouerie  of  new  and 
vnknowen  lands. 

Henry,  by  the  grace  of  God,  king  of  England  and 
France,  and  Lord  of  Ireland,  to  all  to  whom  these  pre 
sents  lhall  come,  Greeting: 

Be  it  knowen  that  we  haue  giuen  and  granted,  and  by 
these  presents  do  giue  and  grant,  for  vs  and  our  heires, 
to  our  well  beloued  lohn  Cabot,  citizen  of  Venice,  to 
Lewis,  Sebastian  and  Santius,  sonnes  of  the  sayd  lohn, 
ani  to  the  heires  of  them  and  euery  of  them,  and  their 
deputies,  full  and  free  authority,  leaue  and  power,  to 
saile  to  all  parts,  countreys  and  seas  of  the  Eaft,  of  the 
Weft,  and  of  the  North,  under  our  banners  and  ensignes, 
with  fme  mips  of  what  quantity  or  burden  soever  they 
may  be,  and  as  many  mariners  or  men  as  they  will  haue 
with  them  in  the  sayd  mips,  upon  their  owne  proper  coils 
and  charges,  to  seeke  out,  discouer  and  finde,  whatsoeuer 
isles,  countreys,  regions  or  prouinces,  of  the  heathens 
and  infidels,  whatsoeuer  they  be,  and  in  what  part  of  the 
world  soeuer  they  be,  which  before  this  time  haue  been 
vnknowen  to  all  Chriftians ;  and  we  haue  granted  to 
them,  and  also  to  euery  one  of  them,  the  heires  of  them, 
and  euery  of  them,  and  their  deputies,  and  haue  giuen 
them  licence  to  set  up  our  banners  and  ensignes  in  euery 
6 


122  DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA. 

village,  towne,  caftle,  isle,  or  maine  land  of  them  newly 
found. 

And  that  the  aforesayd  lohn  and  his  sonnes,,  or  their 
heires  and  assignes,  may  subdue,  occupy  and  possesse, 
as  our  vassals  and  lieutenants,  getting  vnto  vs  the  rule, 
title  and  Jurisdiction  of  the  same  villages,  townes,  caftles, 
and  firme  land  so  found.  Yet  so  that  the  aforesayd  lohn 
and  his  sonnes  and  heires,  and  their  deputies,  be  holden 
and  bounden  of  all  the  fruits,  profits,  gaines  and  commo 
dities  growing  of  fuch  nauigation  for  euery  their  voyage, 
as  often  as  they  shall  arriue  at  cur  port  of  Briftol,  (at 
the  which  port  they  shall  be  bound  and  holden  onely  to 
arriue),  all  manner  of  necefsary  colts  and  charges  by 
them  made,  being  deducted,  to  pay  vnto  vs  in  wares  or 
money  the  fift  part  of  the  capital  gaine  so  gotten  ;  we 
giuing  and  granting  vnto  them  and  to  their  heires  and 
deputies  that  they  shall  be  free  from  all  paying  of  cuftomes 
of  all  and  singular  such  merchandize  as  they  shall  bring 
with  them  from  those  places  so  newly  found, 

And  moreouer  we  haue  giuen  and  granted  to  them, 
their  heires  and  deputies,  that  all  the  lirme  lands,  isles, 
villages,  townes,  caftles  and  places,  whatsoeuer  they  be, 
that  they  shall  chance  to  finde,  may  not  of  any  other  of 
our  fubjefts  be  frequented  or  visited  without  the  licence 
of  the  foresayd  lohn  and  his  sonnes  and  their  deputies, 
Vnder  paine  of  forfeiture,  as  well  of  their  fhippes  as  of 
all  and  singular  goods  of  all  them  that  shall  presume  to 
saile  to  those  places  so  found. 

Willing  and  molt  straightly  commanding  all  and  sin 
gular  our  subjects,  as  well  on  land  as  on  sea,  to  give 
good  afsiftance  to  the  aforesayd  lohn,  and  his  sonnes  and 
deputies,  and  that  as  well  in  arming  or  furnishing  their 


DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA.  123 

fhips  or  vefsels,  as  in  prouision  of  food,  and  in  buying  of 
victuals  for  their  money,  and  all  other  things  by  them  to 
be  prouided  necefsary  for  the  sayd  nauigation,  they  do 
giue  them  all  their  helpe  and  fauour. 

In  witnefse  whereof  we  haue  caused  to  be  made  these 
our  Letters  patents.  Witnefse  ourselfe  at  Weftminfter, 
the  fift  day  of  March,  in  the  eleventh  ycere  of  our 
reign. 

The  sum  and  substance  of  all  this  is  that  John 
Cabot  and  his  sons  were  empowered  to  fit  out  an 
expedition  at  their  own  expense  for  the  purpose  of 
making  discoveries,  on  condition  that  they  were  to 
take  possession  of  all  the  lands  that  they  should 
find  in  the  king's  name,  hold  them  subject  to  him, 
and  also  pay  him  one-fifth  of  all  the  profits  which 
should  accrue  from  their  operations. 

THE    OLD    MAP    AT    WHITEHALL. 

The  next  memorial  that  remains  of  the  voyages 
of  the  Cabots  is  a  copy — contained  in  the  works  of 
ancient  authors  who  wrote  about  a  hundred  years 
after  the  time  that  the  voyages  were  made — of  a 
legend  or  inscription  which  was  recorded  on  a  cer 
tain  map  which  was  then  said  to  hang  in  a  gallery 
of  the  royal  palace  at  Westminster,  and  also  in  the 
houses  of  several  private  gentlemen.  The  map 
itself  that  was  in  the  palace  has  disappeared.  It  is 


124  DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA. 

supposed  to  have  been  destroyed  at  the  time  of  a 
fire  No  copy  of  it  is  known  to  exist  in  England, 
though  it  is  said  that  a  copy  has  been  recently 
found  in  Germany.  The  copy  of  the  inscription 
which  we  now  have  is  one  that  has  been  preserved 
by  being  transferred,  while  the  map  was  in  exist 
ence,  to  the  works  of  certain  historians  who  were 
then  attempting  to  ascertain  the  particulars  of 
Cabot's  life.  The  inscription  upon  the  map  was  in 
Latin,  but  the  purport  of  it  was  as  follows : 


THE    DESCRIPTION    ON   THE   MAP. 


In  the  year  of  our  Lord  1497,  John  Cabot,  a 
Venetian,  and  his  son  Sebastian,  with  an  English 
fleet  from  Bristol,  discovered  this  land  on  the  24th 
of  June,  about  five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  He 
called  the  land  Prima  Vista,  that  is,  first  seen,  be 
cause,  as  I  suppose,  it  was  that  part  whereof  they 
had  the  first  sight  from  the  sea.  The  island  which 
lies  out  before  the  main  land  he  called  St.  John's, 
as.  I  think,  because  it  was  discovered  on  the  day 
of  St.  John  the  Baptist.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
land  are  clothed  in  skins  of  beasts,  and  they  hold 
them  in  as  great  estimation  as  we  do  our  choicest 
garments.  In  their  wars  they  use  bows  and 
arrows,  pikes,  darts,  wooden  clubs,  and  slings. 
The  soil  is  barren  and  produces  no  fruit,  but  is  full 


DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA.  125 

of  bears  of  a  white  color,   and  stags   larger  than 

'  O  O 

ours.  It  abounds  in  fish,  some  of  which  are  very 
great,  as,  for  example,  sea  wolves  (seals).  There 
is  a  fish  too,  commonly  called  salmon,  and  soles 
more  than  a  yard  long.  T  he  island  also  produces 
hawks,  though  they  are  so  black  that  they  look 
like  ravens,  and  also  partridges  and  eagles,  which 
are  also  black. 

OTHER   SOURCES   OF   INFORMATION. 

We  might  go  on  in  this  way  and  mention  in  de 
tail  the  different  disconnected  and  accidental  me 
morials  from  which  all  that  we  now  know  of  the 
voyages  by  means  of  which  the  coasts  of  North 
America  were  first  discovered,  has  been  Lamed,  but 
these  specimens  will  suffice  for  our  object,  which 
has  been  merely  to  give  the  reader  some  general 
idea  of  the  nature  of  the  materials  from  which  the 
history  of  early  transactions  of  this  kind  is  often 
derived.  Next  to  this  inscription  on  the  map 
comes  a  record  of  a  conversation  which  a  certain 
Roman  legate  in  Spain  held  with  Sebastian  Cabot, 
the  son,  some  years  afterwards,  which  conversation 
the  legate  reported  in  a  certain  written  communi 
cation,  by  which  means  it  was  preserved  and  in 
due  time  published.  There  are  many  other  inci 
dental  allusions  of  a  similar  kind  scattered  through 


126  DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA. 

the  works  of  many  different  authors,  written  in 
many  different  languages.  All  these  have  in  later 
times  been  carefully  collected  and  compared,  and 
various  attempts  have  been  made  to  deduce  from 
them  a  simple  and  connected  narrative.  Many 
points,  however,  are  not  clear,  and  many  difficulties 
and  discrepancies  have  arisen  which  have  led  to 
quite  earnest  controversies.  We  shall  content  our 
selves  with  relating  the  prominent  facts  according 
to  the  prevailing  understanding  of  them  at  the 
present  day. 


THE    FIRST    VOYAGE. 


The  patent  was  granted  to  Cabot  and  his  sons  in 
March,  1496.  It  was  not  until  the  following 

o 

spring  that  the  ship  was  ready  to  sail.     The  name 
of  this  ship  was  the  Matthew. 

It  is  pretty  certain  that  of  the  three  sons  of 
John  Cabot,  Sebastian  was  the  only  one  who  ac 
companied  his  father  on  the  expedition.  The 
other  two  sons  are  named  in  the  letters  patent  as 
members  of  the  company  who  were  to  direct  the 
undertaking,  but  there  is  no  evidence  that  either 
of  them  went  on  the  voyage.  It  has  been  con 
sidered  doubtful  whether  John  himself  went,  as 
there  seems  to  be  no  direct  reference  to  him  in  the 
accounts  of  the  voyage  that  remain ;  and  Sebastian 


DISCOVERY   OF   NORTH    AMERICA.  127 

is  almost  always  spoken  of  as  the  actual  discoverer 
of  the  hnds  which  were  visited. 

However  this  may  be,  the  expedition  sailed  early 
in  the  summer  of  1497,  and  after  crossing  the 
Atlantic,  the  voyagers  discovered  land  in  a  high 
northern  latitude.  It  is  supposed  that  the  land 
which  they  saw  was  the  coast  of  Newfoundland  or 
of  Labrador. 

THE   SECOND   VOYAGE. 

On  the  return  of  the  ship  the  news  that  land 
had  been  reached  in  that  quarter  of  the  world 
awakened  great  interest  in  England,  both  at  court 
and  among  the  merchants  in  the  seaport  towns, 
and  arrangements  were  immediately  made  to  send 
out  a  larger  expedition.  A  new  document,  some 
times  called  a  new  patent,  was  obtained  from  the 
king,  under  which  several  ships  were  provided,  and 
several  hundred  men  enlisted,  with  a  view  of  ex 
ploring  the  country  more  fully,  and  establishing  a 
colony  upon  some  portion  of  it,  if  a  suitable  site 
should  be  found,  and  if  not,  of  finding  some  strait 
or  opening  through  which  the  expedition  might 
go  on.  and  finally  reach  the  eastern  shores  of 
India. 

Quite  a  number  of  merchants,  not  only  of  Bris 
tol,  but  also  of  London,  took  a  deep  interest  in 


128  DISCOVERY    OF   NORTH   AMERICA. 

this  expedition,  and  many  of  them  sent  ventures 
of  merchandise  in  the  ships,  to  be  traded  with  the 
natives  of  the  countries  which  might  be  found. 
These  ventures  consisted  of  coarse  cloth,  caps, 
laces,  knives,  needles,  beads,  and  other  such  things. 
Those  who  sent  them  expected  to  receive  something 
extremely  valuable  in  return — curious  ornaments, 
perhaps,  of  gold  and  silver,  or  pearls,  or  gems,  or 
costly  spices. 

This  second  expedition  is  known  to  have  been 
under  the  command  of  Sebastian  Cabot,  notwith 
standing  that  he  was  now  only  about  twenty- two 
years  old.  It  is  supposed  that  in  the  interval  his 
father  had  died. 

OBSERVATIONS   ON   THE   LAND. 

There  is  some  confusion  in  the  accounts  that  re 
main  of  these  two  expeditions,  making  it  difficult 
to  keep  the  occurrences  which  took  place  in  them 
distinct.  In  one  or  the  other  of  them,  or  perhaps 
in  both,  on  reaching  the  land,  an  exploring  party 
went  on  shore  to  make  observations  upon  the 
country  and  upon  the  inhabitants,  and  also  upon 
the  plants  and  animals  which  it  produced.  Cabot 
soon  satisfied  himself  that  he  had  not  yet  reached 
India,  and  he  accordingly  returned  on  board  his 
ship  with  the  view  of  continuing  the  voyage. 


DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA.  129 


ADVANCE    TO    THE   NORTHWARD. 


The  fleet  sailed  to  the  northward,  keeping  all 
the  time  near  the  coast,  in  hopes  to  find  a  passage 
through  the  land  leading  toward  the  west.  The 
voyagers  went  on  in  this  way  until  they  reached  a 
region  where  the  sea  was  full  of  floating  mountains 
of  ice,  which  they  were  all  very  much  surprised  to 
behold.  It  is  now  known  that  these  mountains  of 
ice  are  brought  down  in  a  stream  from  Baffin's 
Bay,  where  they  are  formed  by  glaciers  protrud 
ing  into  the  sea,  as  described  in  a  former  chapter. 

The  expedition  went  on,  but  instead  of  discover 
ing  any  opening  leading  toward  the  west,  they 
found  that  the  further  they  proceeded  the  more 
the  coast  seemed  to  trend  toward  the  east.  Pre 
cisely  how  far  toward  the  northward  they  went  is 
not  certainly  known,  as  the  different  accounts  and 
statements  in  regard  to  this  point  do  not  agree. 
They,  however,  attained  to  so  high  a  latitude  that 
the  day  continued;  as  it  were,  during  the  whole 
twenty-four  hours,  and  the  sea  became  so  encum 
bered  with  floating  mountains  of  ice  that  it  was 
dangerous  to  proceed  any  further. 


The   sailors,  too,  and,  in  fact  the  whole  com 
pany  became  discontented  and  afraid.     They  were 

6* 


130  DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA. 

appalled  by  the  strange  appearances  which  nature 
presented  to  their  view  in  those  remote  regions. 
The  immense  icebergs  floating  in  all  directions 
around  them ;  the  bears  and  other  uncouth  mon 
sters  that  they  found  haunting  the  floes  ;  the  un 
wonted  aspect  of  the  heavens,  with  the  sun  revolv 
ing  in  circles  almost  parallel  with  the  horizon,  and 
thus  producing  no  proper  night  and  no  real  and 
genuine  day;  all  these  things  terrified  them  and 
filled  their  minds  with  a  solemn  awe.  They  were 
determined  that  they  would  proceed  no  further, 
and  Cabot  was  finally  compelled  to  yield  to  the 
mutinous  spirit  manifested  by  his  crew.  He  ac 
cordingly  turned  his  course  toward  the  southward, 
in  hopes  to  find  some  opening  in  that  direction 
through  which  he  might  penetrate  the  land,  and 
continue  his  voyage  toward  the  Indies. 


RETURN   OP   THE    EXPEDITION. 


The  expedition  pursued  its  course  southward 
along  the  eastern  coast  of  North  America,  looking 
everywhere  for  some  opening  in  the  land  by  which 
to  pass  on  toward  the  west.  But  none  was  to  be 
found.  They  went  on  in  this  way  until  they  came 
to  the  West  India  islands,  which  had  already  been 
discovered  and  taken  possesoin  of  by  Columbus, 
and  then,  their  provisions,  moreover,  having  by  this 


DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA.  131 

time  become  nearly  exhausted,  they  returned  to 
England,  bringing  with  them,  of  course,  no  treas 
ures,  and  no  very  encouraging  report  of  the  lands 
which  they  had  seen.  They,  however,  made  known 
to  mankind  the  existence  and  the  extent  of  the  im 
mense  tract  of  land  now  known  as  the  continent  of 
North  America. 

SUBSEQUENT   HISTORY    OF   CABOT. 

We  have  little  concern  with  the  subsequent 
events  of  Cabot's  life  for  the  purposes  of  this  his 
tory.  It  will  be  sufficient  to  say  that,  on  his 
return  to  England,  he  found  the  country  deeply 
disturbed  by  civil  commotions,  and  the  government 
were  not  in  a  condition  to  pay  much  attention  to 
his  plans.  Besides,  though  he  had  explored  a 
very  extended  line  of  coast,  and  though  great 
advantages  ultimately  accrued  to  the  English 
crown  through  the  discoveries  that  he  made,  his 
expedition,  on  the  whole,  in  respect  to  all  the  im 
mediate  results  which  the  parties  concerned  had 
hoped  to  realize  from  it,  had  proved  a  failure. 
Cabot  had  not  found  a  way  to  India,  nor  had  he 
discovered  any  lands  producing  gold  or  silver,  or 
gems,  or  spices,  or  any  other  means  of  suddenly 
enriching  those  who  had  originated  the  enterprise. 

Cabot,    however,   acquired  considerable   renown 


132  DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA. 

by  these  two  voyages,  and  he  continued  afterward 
for  many  years  to  occupy  a  very  commanding 
position  in  respect  to  the  principal  plans  for  ex 
ploring  distant  seas,  in  which  different  nations  were 
then  engaged.  During  this  period  he  acted  some 
times  in  the  service  of  the  king  of  England,  and 
sometimes  in  that  of  the  king  of  Spain.  He  made 
several  long  voyages  himself,  and  during  one  of 
them  he  explored  a  large  portion  of  the  eastern 
coast  of  South  America,  where  he  founded  colo 
nies,  and  met  with  many  extraordinary  and  inter 
esting  adventures,  which  it  would,  however,  be 
out  of  place  to  relate  particularly  here. 

On  his  return  from  these  voyages  he  was  ad 
vanced  to  positions  of  great  dignity  and  honor 
under  the  governments  both  of  England  and  of 
Spain — positions  which  gave  him  a  controlling  in 
fluence  in  respect  to  the  organization  and  manage 
ment  of  many  of  the  great  commercial  enterprises 
of  the  day. 

THE   VOYAGE    OF   THE   SERCHTHRIFT. 

Cabot  continued  to  take  a  great  interest  in  these 
enterprises  to  the  very  close  of  his  life.  There  is 
an  account  of  his  going  down  to  Gravesend,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Thames,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
departure  of  a  vessel  called  the  Serchthrift,  which 


DISCOVERY    OF    NORTH    AMERICA.  133 

was  going  on  an  exploring  voyage  into  the  seas  to 
the  northeastward  of  England,  when  he  was  about 
eighty  years  old,  in  order  to  manifest  his  interest 
in  the  expedition,  and  to  bid  those  engaged  in  it 
farewell,  and  he  joined  in  the  festivities  of  the  oc 
casion  so  far  as  to  take  his  place  among  the  young 
people  in  a  dance  at  an  inn  in  the  town,  where  he 
gave  a  sort  of  ball  to  the  officers  of  the  expedition 
and  the  damsels  of  the  neighborhood. 

The  occurrence  is  related  by  the  commander  of 
the  vessel,  who  kept  a  minute  journal  of  the  inci 
dents  and  events  of  the  voyage,  in  the  following 
manner  : 

The  27th  being  Munday  the  Right  worfhipfull  Sebas 
tian  Cabota  came  aboord  our  pinnefse  at  Grauesend 
accompanied  with  divers  Gentlemen  and  Gentlewomen, 
who,  after  that  they  had  viewed  our  Pinnefse,  and  tasted 
of  such  cheere  as  we  could  make  them  aboord,  they 
went  on  shore,  giuing  to  our  manners  right  liberall 
rewards.  And  the  good  old  Gentleman  Master  Cabota 
gaue  to  the  poore  moft  liberal  almes,  wifhing  them  to 
pray  for  the  good  fortune  and  prosperous  succefs  of  the 
Serchthrift  our  Pinnefse.  And  then  at  the  signe  of  the 
Christopher  hee  and  his  friends  banketted,  and  made  me 
and  them  that  were  in  the  company  great  cheere;  and 
for  very  ioy  that  he  had  to  see  the  towardnes  of  our 
intended  discouery  he  cntred  into  the  dance  himselfe, 
amongft  the  reft  of  the  young  and  lufty  company,  which 
being  ended  hee  and  his  friends  departed  moft  gently, 
commending  us  to  the  gouernance  of  Almighty  God. 


134  DISCOVERY    OF   NORTH   AMERICA. 

Cabot  died  at  last  at  a  very  advanced  age  and 
full  of  honors.  He  retained  his  interest  in  every 
thing  pertaining  to  navigation  and  discovery  to  the 
last,  and  on  his  death-bed,  when  his  mind  was 
wandering,  he  talked  of  voyages  and  proposed 
routes  and  distant  seas.  He  said,  moreover,  that 
God  had  revealed  to  him  a  way  of  ascertaining  the 
longitude  easy  and  sure,  but  that  he  was  forbidden 
to  reveal  it  to  any  human  being. 

The  latitude  at  sea  was  always  very  readily 
obtained,  as  the  elevation  of  the  sun  at  mid-day, 
or  that  of  the  north  star  at  night,  gives  it  almost 
directly;  but  how  to  ascertain  the  longitude  was 
the  great  problem  and  perplexity  of  navigators  in 
those  times,  and  the  question  occupied  the  thoughts 
of  every  mathematician  and  astronomer,  as  well  as 
of  every  vain  and  ignorant  schemer,  in  the  land. 
The  difficulty  in  respect  to  longitude  arose  from 
the  fact  that,  inasmuch  as  the  whole  sky,  with  the 
sun,  the  moon,  and  all  the  stars,  are  in  a  state  of 
continual  rotation  from  east  to  west — which  is  the 
way  in  which  longitude  is  reckoned — there  is  no 
fixed  point  to  observe  in  that  direction,  and  no 
standard  of  measurement  or  comparison  which  any 
instrument  that  was  in  use  among  the  navigators 
of  those  days  could  make  the  basis  of  its  observa 
tions. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE     DISCOVERY     OF     FLORIDA. 

WHEN  Columbus  returned  from  his  voyage  and 
reported  the  results  of  it,  the  news  spread  rapidly 
throughout  all  the  western  part  of  Europe,  and 
universal  interest  was  awakened  both  among  the 
governments  and  the  people,  in  the  new  world 
which  had  thus  been  discovered.  In  the  course  of 
a  few  succeeding  years  a  number  of  colonies  were 
founded  in  the  West  India  Islands,  and  in  those 
portions  of  the  continent  lying  contiguous  to  them, 
and  various  adventurers  from  among  the  higher 
classes  of  the  population,  especially  from  Spain 
and  Portugal,  came  out  with  appointments  to 
serve  as  governors,  generals,  secretaries,  and  in 
various  other  capacities,  all  expecting  to  make 
their  fortunes  out  of  the  treasures  of  the  new 
world,  or  to  acquire  renown  by  the  exploits  which 
they  should  perform  in  the  conquest  of  it.  This 
is  not  the  place  to  relate  in  general  the  doings 
of  these  adventurers,  as  their  exploits  do  not  form 
directly  a  part  of  the  history  of  our  own  country. 


136  THE    DISCOVERY    OF    FLORIDA. 

But  there  is  one  among  them  that  must  be  at  least 
alluded  to,  on  account  of  the  fact  that  the  conti 
nent,  when  it  came  to  be  known  that  there  was  a 
continent,  and  that  it  was  so  far  removed  from  the 
eastern  shores  of  Asia  that  the  name  which  Colum 
bus  had  given  to  the  lands  which  he  had  discovered 
—the  Indies— could  not  properly  be  extended  to  it, 
was  called  by  his  name. 

AMERICUS   VESPUCIUS. 

He  was  an  Italian  merchant,  a  native  of  Flor 
ence.  The  nature  of  his  business  led  him  to  take 
a  great  interest  in  everything  relating  to  commerce 
and  navigation.  In  the  course  of  his  travels  about 
Europe  he  came  at  length  to  Seville  in  Spain,  and 
he  was  residing  there  when  Columbus  made  his 
first  voyage.  He  afterward  made  several  voyages 
to  the  newly  discovered  regions  himself,  but  the 
accounts  of  them  that  remain  are  confused  and 
contradictory.  He  is  accused  of  having  falsified 
his  journals  by  ante-dating  some  of  his  voyages, 
and  of  having  claimed  credit  for  some  that  he  never 
made,  in  order  to  enhance  his  merit  in  the  estima 
tion  of  mankind  as  a  great  discoverer.  At  any 
rate,  after  his  return  from  such  expeditions  as  he 
really  did  make,  he  was  appointed  to  the  office  of 
grand  pilot,  as  it  was  termed,  under  the  govern- 


THE    DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA.  137 

ment  of  Spain,  which  office  gave  him  the  charge 
of  the  preparation  of  charts  for  the  use  of  naviga 
tors  crossing  the  Atlantic,  and  of  the  distribution 
of  them  to  the  commanders  of  the  ships.  While 
in  the  exercise  of  the  duties  of  this  office,  either  he; 
or  his  friends  for  him,  contrived  that  the  new  con 
tinent  should  be  called  by  his  name.  They  caused 
the  name  America  to  be  inserted  upon  the  charts, 
and  this  name  soon  became  so  firmly  established 
that  though  many  efforts  at  different  times  have 
been  made  to  change  it,  none  have  succeeded. 
Nothing  is  more  difficult  than  to  change  a  name 

o  o 

once  widely  disseminated  among  mankind. 

Americus  justified  his  calling  the  new  conti 
nent  by  his  name  by  claiming  that  he  was  the 
first  who  really  discovered  it — Columbus  having, 
as  he  alleged,  seen  only  islands  until  after  he — that 
is  Americus — had  found  his  way  to  the  main  land. 
This  claim  is  not  generally  allowed ;  and,  at  any 
rate,  if  Columbus  was  not  the  first  to  land  upon 
the  continent,  that  was  a  very  trifling  circum 
stance — one,  in  fact,  of  no  moment  whatever  in  esti 
mating  the  degree  of  honor  which  should  be 
awarded  to  him  as  the  discoverer  of  the  new 
world  ;  and  it  seems  to  mankind  very  unjust  that 
another  should  have  the  privilege  of  giving  ifc  his 
name,  on  grounds  comparatively  so  trivial. 


138  THE    DISCOVERY   OF   FLORIDA. 

This  is  true,  but,  in  fact,  the  injustice  which  has 
been  done  is  more  imaginary  than  real,  for,  after 
all,  though  Americus  succeeded  in  giving  the  new 
continent  his  name,  he  obtained  no  glory,  but 
rather  censure  and  discredit  by  so  doing.  All  the 
real  and  substantial  honor  of  the  discovery  rests, 
in  the  opinion  of  mankind,  and  always  will  rest, 
with  Columbus  alone. 

JOHN"  PONCE  DE  LEON  AND  THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  YOUTH. 

The  first  portion  of  the  territory  now  belonging 
to  the  United  States  which  was  visited  by  the 
Spanish  and  Portuguese  adventurers  was  the  south 
eastern  portion,  now  forming  the  states  of  South 
Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Florida.  The  shores  of 
Florida  were  visited  first  by  Ponce  de  Leon,  who 
was  at  that  time  the  governor  of  the  island  Porto 
Rico.  The  Spaniards  who  came  to  America  at 
this  time  imagined  themselves  in  the  Indies,  ac 
cording  to  the  ideas  of  Columbus,  which  still  pre 
vailed,  and  they  entertained  the  most  extravagant 
conceptions,  not  only  of  treasures  to  be  discovered, 
but  also  of  various  magical  wonders  which  they 
imagined  the  country  to  contain.  It  would  almost 
seem  that  they  had  read  the  Arabian  Nights 
Entertainments,  and  thought  that  they  had  found 


THE   DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA.  139 

a  country  in  which  all  the  gorgeous  descriptions 
which  that  book  contained  were  to  be  fully  realized. 

Ponce  de  Leon  heard  accounts  from  some  of  the 
Indians  that  at  a  considerable  distance  to  the 
northward,  on  the  main  land,  there  was  a  magical 
spring,  which  was  endowed  with  such  powers  that 
any  one  who  should  bathe  in  its  waters  would  be 
restored  to  youth  again.  So  he  organized  an  ex 
pedition  to  go  and  find  it.  He  did  not  find  the 
spring,  but  he  discovered  and  explored  a  considera 
ble  extent  of  country  upon  the  main  land,  and 
named  it  Florida.  This  was  in  1512,  just  twenty 
years  after  the  first  voyage  of  Columbus. 

It  has  been  said,  and  the  idea  is  so  agreeable 
that  we  are  all  predisposed  to  entertain  it,  that  De 
Leon  named  the  country  Florida  on  account  of  the 
profusion  of  flowers  with  which  the  woods  were 
adorned  at  the  time  that  he  visited  it;  but  the 
truth  is,  probably,  that  he  gave  it  that  name  from 
the  circumstance  that  he  first  saw  the  land  on 
Palm  Sunday,  a  sacred  day  in  the  Catholic  church, 
which,  in  the  Spanish  language,  is  called  Pasqua 
Florida.  It  was  a  general  custom  with  all  these 
Spanish  navigators  to  give  to  any  place  that  they 
discovered  the  name  of  the  saint  or  of  the  fes 
tival,  which  was  associated,  in  the  calendar,  with 
the  day  on  which  they  discovered  it. 


140  THE    DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA. 

COMMENCEMENT   OF   HOSTILITIES    WITH   THE    AMERICAN    INDIANS, 

The  Spaniards  who  came  from  the  old  world  in 
those  days  to  make  settlements  in  the  new,  brought 
with  them  sailors  to  man  their  ship^,  and  soldiers 
to  conquer  the  countries  which  they  should  dis 
cover,  but  they  could  not  well  bring  a  sufficient 
number  of  laborers  to  till  the  soil  and  work  the 
mines,  when  they  came  to  establish  permanent  colo 
nies,  and  they  adopted  the  system  of  compelling 
the  natives  to  work  for  them,  without  paying  them 
wages.  This  was  the  origin  of  the  system  of 
American  slavery.  It  was  from  an  attempt  made 
6y  this  same  Ponce  de  Leon  to  carry  off  a  cargo 
of  Indians  from  South  Carolina,  in  order  to  make 
slaves  of  them  in  his  island  of  Porto  Rico,  that  the 
first  serious  hostilities  were  excited  between  the 
Indians  and  the  Europeans. 

This  circumstance  occurred  soon  after  Ponce  de 
Leon's  first  voyage  to  Florida.  A  company  was 
formed  to  work  certain  mines  on  the  island  of  St. 
Domingo,  now  usually  called  Hayti,  which  lay 
directly  to  the  west  of  Porto  Rico.  This  company, 
of  course  with  the  sanction  of  the  governor,  sent 
off  two  vessels  to  the  coasts  of  what  is  now  South 
Carolina.  They  landed  and  opened  an  intercourse 
with  the  Indians,  whom  they  found  kind,  gentle 


THE    DISCOVERY    OF    FLORIDA,  141 

and  hospitable.  After  trading  with  them  for  some 
days,  and  gaining  their  confidence  by  a  great  show 
of  friendliness  and  good-will,  they  invited  them  to 
come  on  board  the  vessels,  and  when  there  they 
invited  them  below,  under  pretense  of  showing 
them  the  interior  arrangements.  When  the  In 
dians  were  all  below  they  suddenly  clapped  down 
the  hatches  and  barred  and  bolted  them,  and  then 
immediately  made  sail.  The  poor  Indians,  torn 
thus  suddenly  and  treacherously  from  their  fami 
lies  and  homes,  and  borne  away  against  their  will, 
never  returned.  One  of  the  ships  foundered  on 
the  voyage  to  St.  Domingo,  and  all  on  board  per 
ished.  The  other  arrived,  and  the  unhappy  cap 
tives  brought  on  board  of  her  were  compelled  to 
pass  the  remainder  of  their  lives  in  digging  in  the 
mines  for  the  benefit  of  their  captors. 

The  tidings  of  this  outrageous  crime  spread 
rapidly,  of  course,  among  the  tribes  living  along 
the  neighboring  coasts,  and  they  awakened  a  feel 
ing  of  universal  indignation.  Of  course,  all  con 
fidence  in  any  professions  of  friendship  which  the 
Europeans  might  thenceforth  make  was  gone,  and 
in  its  place  arose  the  fiercest  resentment  and  rage, 
which  on  the  next  occasion  of  the  landing  of  a 
company  of  Europeans  on  their  shores  led  to  acts 
of  bitter  retaliation  and  revenge.  And  thus  it  was 


142  THE    DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA. 

that  the  first  hostilities  with  the  American  Indiani 
arose. 

THE    FIRST   ACT   OF    REVENGE. 

It  -was  not  long  before  an  opportunity  occurred 
for  the  Indians  to  begin  taking  their  revenge. 
One  of  the  prominent  members  of  the  company 
that  sent  the  expedition  to  kidnap  the  Indians  on 
the  main  land  was  a  certain  personage  named 
Lucas  Vasquez  d' Ay  lion,  who,  when  he  heard  the 
report  brought  back  by  the  expedition,  conceived 
the  idea  of  taking  possession  of  the  country  and 
making  himself  a  sort  of  kingdom  there.  So  he 
went  to  Spain  and  applied  at  court  for  a  commis 
sion  which  should  give  him  authority  to  do  this^ 
from  the  king  and  queen. 

After  several  years  of  maneuvering  and  solicita 
tion  he  at  length  obtained  his  commission,  and  re 
turned  to  St.  Domingo.  There  he  fitted  out  an 
expedition,  consisting  of  three  vessels,  and  taking 
with  him  a  proper  supply  of  men  and  of  military 
stores,  he  set  sail.  As  soon  as  he  reached  the 
coast  he  entered  St.  Helena  Sound,  near  where 
the  town  of  Beaufort  is  now  situated.*  Here  one 
of  his  vessels  unfortunately  went  ashore  and  was 

*  See  map  at  the  commencement  of  the  Eighth  Chapter. 


THE    DISCOVERY    OF    FLORIDA.  143 

lost.  With  the  other  two  ho  went  a  little  further 
and  landed.  The  Indians,  who  seem  now  to  have 
thought  that  their  turn  was  come  to  practice 
treachery,  pretended  to  be  very  friendly.  They 
engaged  -in  traffic  with  the  strangers  at  once, 
without  manifesting  any  suspicion  or  fear,  and  in 
the  end  invited  them  to  go  a  little  way  into  the 
interior  of  the  country  to  see  their  town.  So 
completely  was  d' Ay  lion  deceived  by  their  artificc.3 
that  he  allowed  two  hundred  of  his  men  to  accept 
this  invitation. 

The  Indians  conducted  the  two  hundred  to  the 
town,  and  there  feasted  and  entertained  them  for 
two  or  three  days.  At  first  the  men  were  some 
what  wary  and  kept  upon  their  guard,  but  in  the 
course  of  the  three  days  they  gradually  dismissed 
their  apprehensions,  and  began  at  last  to  feel  quite 
at  home.  On  the  night  of  the  third  day  the 
Indians  came  upon  them  suddenly,  under  a  pre 
concerted  arrangement,  and  massacred  them  all  as 
they  lay  asleep. 

The  Indians  then  immediately  set  off  for  the 
encampment  of  the  expedition  on  the  shore,  where 
d'Ayllon  himself  and  the  rest  of  his  company  re 
mained.  They  crept  along  in  silence  and  secrecy 
through  the  woods,  and  at  length,  after  pausing  a 
moment  on  the  outskirts  of  the  encampment,  to 


144  THE    DISCOVERY    OF    FLORIDA. 

make  ready  for  a  simultaneous  assault,  they  sud 
denly  burst  upon  the  astonished  Spaniards  in  their 
sleep,  with  terrific  screams  and  yells,  and  with 
showers  of  darts  and  arrows.  The  Spaniards  fled 
to  their  boats.  The  Indians  pressed  after  them, 
beating  them  down  by  the  way  with  tomahawks 
and  war-clubs.  Vast  numbers  were  killed.  The 
rest  succeeded  in  getting  off  to  their  ships,  and 
making  their  escape  from  the  country.  And  this 
was  the  end  of  d' Ay  lion's  plan  of  making  himself 
a  kingdom  on  those  southern  shores. 

NAEVAEZ. 

The  next  adventurer  who  undertook  to  make  an 
incursion  into  the  Florida  country  was  a  certain 
personage  named  Pamphilio  de  Narvaez.  He  had 
been  engaged  with  the  celebrated  Hernando  Cortez 
in  various  adventures  further  south,  in  Mexico,  and 
had  quarreled  with  him  and  been  beaten  by  him  in 
the  contention,  and  he  then  went  home  to  carry  Lis 
complaints  and  accusations  against  his  rival  to  the 
court  of  Spain.  He  did  not  obtain  much  satisfac 
tion  in  respect  to  his  alleged  grievances,  but  at 
length,  after  seven  years  of  intriguing,  maneuver 
ing  and  delay,  he  received  from  the  king  the  ap 
pointment  of  viceroy  or  governor  of  Florida — that 
is  to  say,  he  was  invested  with  authority  to  go  and 


THE    DISCOVERY    OF    FLORIDA.  145 

conquer  the  country,  establish  over  it  the  dominion 
of  the  king  of  Spain,  and  then  exercise  the  domin 
ion  in  the  king's  name. 

He  set  off  from  Spain  in  the  summer  of  152T, 
thirty-five  years  after  the  first  discovery  of  Amer 
ica  hy  Columbus,  and  about  ten  or  twelve  years 
after  the  defeat  of  d' Ay  lion,  referred  to  under  the 
preceding  head.  His  expedition  consisted  of  seve 
ral  ships,  which  contained  about  six  hundred  men, 
a  considerable  number  of  horses,  and  all  necessary 
equipments  and  stores. 

Narvaez  was  quite  unfortunate  in  his  voyage 
across  the  Atlantic,  and  also  in  approaching  the 
shores  of  Cuba,  where  he  stopped  to  refit  before  pro 
ceeding  to  his  destination,  having  encountered  a 
succession  of  terrible  storms  on  the  way,  which, 
through  the  hardships  which  they  entailed  upon 
the  crews,  and  the  wrecking  of  one  or  two  of  his 
vessels  which  they  caused,  lost  him  a  large  number 
of  his  men.  He  finally  sailed,  however,  for  Cuba 
with  those  that  remained,  and  at  length,  in  April, 
1528,  nine  months  or  more  after  leaving  Spain, 
he  found  himself  approaching  the  shores  of  Flor 
ida  with  about  four  hundred  men  and  forty  or  fifty 
horses,  at  his  disposal.  Of  course,  there  were 
several  Spanish  cavaliers  and  gentlemen  in  the 
company,  who  filled  various  subordinate  offices 


146 


THE    DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA. 


under  Narvaez'  command.  Among  these  was  one 
named  Alva  de  Vaca — the  secretary  and  paymas 
ter  of  the  expedition — who  will  be  referred  to  par 
ticularly  in  the  sequel. 


THE    LANDING. 


Narvaez  approached  the   shore  on  the  western 
)oast  of  Florida,    near    Tampa    Bay.     From    the 


decks  of  the  vessels,  as  soon  as  they  came  in  view 
of  the  land,  the  natives  could  be  seen  assembled  in 


THE    DISCOVERY   OF   FLORIDA.  147 

considerable  numbers  on  the  beach,  gazing  appar 
ently  in  great  astonishment  at  the  little  fleet,  as  it 
gradually  came  in.  Their  wigwams  could  be  seen 
toa,  b.ick  at  a  little  distance  from  the  shore. 

Tne  landing  took  place  on  the  following  day. 
The  Indians,  however,  did  not  wait  to  receive  their 
visitors.  When  they  found  that  they  were  coming 
on  shore  they  abandoned  their  wigwams  and  fled 
into  the  woods. 

The  work  of  landing  a  considerable  body  of  men, 
especially  if  they  are  accompanied  by  a  troop  of 
horse,  on  a  wild  coast,  where,  of  course,  there  can 
be  no  facilities  for  debarkation,  is  a  very  slow  and 
laborious  process.  It  consumed  in  this  case  a  large 
p.irt  of  the  day,  but  at  length  it  was  safely  accom 
plished.  The  men  and  likewise  the  horses,  which 
last  were  in  a  very  lean  and  exhausted  condition, 
were  safely  conveyed  to  the  shore.  As  soon  as 
they  had  landed  Narvaez  took  formal  possession  of 
the  territory  as  his  kingdom,  with  appropriate  cere 
monies,  and  all  the  men  under  his  command  sur 
rendered  the  commissions  which  they  had  held 
hitherto  under  the  authority  of  the  government  of 
Spain,  and  received  new  ones,  which  Narvaez 
granted  them  in  his  own  name,  as  the  governor  of 
the  country  in  which  they  had  landed.  They  thus, 
as  it  were,  transferred  their  allegiance  to  him,  and 


148  THE    DISCOVERY    OF    FLORIDA. 

recognized  him  as  thenceforth  their  acknowledged 
ruler. 

The  next  day  some  of  the  Indians  who  had  fled 
to  the  woods  began  cautiously  to  come  back  again, 
one  by  one.  Narvaez  treated  them  kindly,  and 
endeavored  to  communicate  with  them,  with  a  hope 
of  obtaining  some  information  about  the  country  j 
but  he  could  not  succeed  at  all,  either  in  making 
himself  understood,  or  in  understanding  them. 

PLANS   FOR   ADVANCING   INTO  THE   COUNTRY. 

Narvaez  was  not  particularly  pleased  with  the 
aspect  of  the  country  immediately  around  him,  and 
he  determined  to  proceed  to  the  northward  and 
westward  along  the  coast,  in  the  hope  of  finding 
something  more  promising.  He  first,  however, 
sent  out  explorers  in  various  directions,  some  of 
whom  on  their  return  reported  that  the  whole 
country  bordering  on  the  coast  in  the  direction  in 
which  they  were  going  was  entirely  impassable, 
being  obstructed  by  innumerable  bays  and  inlets 
setting  in  from  the  sea,  and  communicating  with 
vast  lagoons  and  stagnant  pools  filled  with  aquatic 
plants,  while  the  land  intervening  between  them 
consisted  of  swamps,  marshes,  cane-brakes,  and 
impenetrable  thickets. 

Narvaez,  accordingly,  concluded  that  he  would 


THE   DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA.  149 

go  back  further  into  the  interior  in  his  march,  in 
hope  of  finding  higher  and  drier  land.  In  the 
mean  time  his  ships  were  to  proceed  in  the  same 
direction  by  sea,  keeping  as  near  the  coast  as  pos 
sible,  and  watching  at  the  various  points  that  they 
should  pass  for  signals  from  him.  Narvaez  spent 
a  fortnight  in  making  the  necessary  preparations, 
but  at  length  everything  was  ready,  and  he  com 
menced  his  march  on  the  first  day  of  May. 

PROGRESS   OF    THE    MARCH. 

Narvaez  and  his  troop  advanced  very  slowly — 
at  a  rate  upon  the  average  of  not  more  than  four 
miles  a  day — so  difficult  was  the  country,  and  so 
devious  were  the  ways  which  they  were  compelled 
to  pursue  in  order  to  avoid  the  swamps,  and  stag 
nant  lakes,  <und  the  innumerable  inlets  coming  in 
from  the  sea.  They  were  obliged  to  keep  con 
stantly  on  the  watch  against  enemies,  too,  for 
though  the  Indians  seemed  not  to  be  strong  enough 
openly  to  attack  such  a  force  as  that  which  Nar 
vaez  commanded,  they  continually  evinced  an  un- 
iriendly  disposition,  and  Narvaez  could  not  ascer 
tain  positively  what  their  views  and  intentions 
were,  for  he  could  not  communicate  with  them. 
He  had  no  interpreters;  nor  had  he  any  other 
means  of  coming  to  an  understanding  with  them. 


150  THE    DISCOVERY    OiT   FLORIDA. 

The  object  which  Narvaez  had  in  view  in  this 
march  was  to  find  some  great  native  kingdom  or 
state  to  conquer  and  rule  over,  as  Pizarro  had  done 
in  Peru,  and  Cortez  in  Mexico.  Accordingly,  as 
he  went  on,  he  looked  for  a  cultivated  country, 
and  for  cities  and  towns,  and  indications  of  gold 
and  silver.  But  he  found  nothing  of  the  kind. 
The  country  presented  to  view  only  one  continued 
succession  of  swamps  arid  canebrakes,  and  entan 
gled  and  impenetrable  thickets.  In  many  places 
where  the  soil  appeared  firm  upon  the  surface,  it 
would  tremble  and  fluctuate  under  the  tread  for  a 
great  distance  around,  showing  that  the  appear 
ance  of  stability  was  illusive,  and  that  the  treach 
erous  ground,  covered  with  grass  and  herbage  so 
green  and  beautiful  above,  was  nothing  but  a 
slough  of  semi-fluid  mire  below.  All  these  regions, 
too,  swarmed  with  rattlesnakes,  lizards,  alligators, 
and  many  other  hateful  animals  that  breed  in  mud 
and  slime. 

There  was  a  portion  of  upland  country,  it  is 
true,  and  here  were  sometimes  found  fields  of 
maize  and  of  cotton,  which  were  cultivated  by  the 
Indians.  The  swamps,  too,  produced  in  many 
places  large  quantities  of  wild  rice,  a  very  nutri 
tious  article  of  food.  In  the  neighborhood  of  such 
grounds  as  these  there  were  villages — if  villages 


THE    DISCOVERT   OF   FLORIDA.  151 

they  might  be  called — consisting  of  rude  wigwams, 
inhabited  by  rude  and  savage  men.  In  a  word, 
Narvaez  found  none  of  the  elements  out  of  which 
the  kingdom  was  to  be  constructed  which  his 
imagination  had  painted  in  such  glowing  colors 
when  he  set  out  from  Spain.  There  were  no  great 
cities  and  towns  like  those  which  had  been  found 
in  Mexico  and  Peru — no  splendid  palaces  filled 
with  treasures — no  great  kings  and  princes  to  be 
made  captive — no  gold,  no  spices,  no  gems — 
nothing  but  wretched  huts,  and  around  them 
squalid  Indians,  so  low  in  their  barbarism  that 
they  seemed  to  add  fresh  deformity  to  the  dreary 
region  of  swamps  and  reptiles  in  the  midst  of 
which  they  lived. 

Narvaez  went  on,  hoping  to  find  something  more 
attractive  as  he  advanced,  but  still  greatly  vexed 
and  disappointed,  and  in  a  very  unamiable  state  of 
mind. 

CROSSING-   THE   SUWANEE    RIVER. 

At  last,  about  the  middle  of  June,  he  arrived  on 
the  banks  of  the  Suwanee  River.  He  had  gone  so 
far  into  the  interior  that  he  came  upon  this  river 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  its  mouth,  but  still 
the  stream  was  wide  and  the  current  was  rapid, 
and  he  encountered  considerable  difficulty  in  trans- 


152  THE    DISCOVERY   OF    FLORIDA. 

porting  his  men  and  animals  across  it.  Indeed, 
one  horse  was  borne  down  by  the  current,  with  his 
rider  upon  his  back,  and  both  were  drowned.  The 
remainder  of  his  force,  however,  passed  the  river 
in  safety,  and  Narvaez  now  entered  a  region  of 
country  which  was  somewhat  more  favorable  for 
the  occupation  of  man,  and  where  he  hoped  he 
should  at  length  find  cities  and  towrns  and  a  more 
wealthy  population.  Instead  of  which,  however, 
he  only  found  more  numerous  enemies  to  encoun 
ter,  and  a  fiercer  and  more  determined  resistance. 

Still  the  Indians  would  not  meet  him  in  the 
open  field.  They  contented  themselves  with  fol 
lowing  his  steps,  sometimes  making  false  treaties 
of  peace  with  them,  for  by  this  time  he  had  learned 
to  hold  some  communication  with  them,  sometimes 
drawing  him  into  ambuscades,  and  sometimes  con 
tenting  themselves  with  harassing  his  march,  and 
picking  off  his  men  with  their  arrows  from  thickets 
in  which  they  lay  concealed  while  the  column  of 
troops  was  passing. 


THE   BLOODHOUNDS. 


Among  the  other  means  of  warfare  against  the 
Indians  which  Narvaez  brought  with  him  was  a 
supply  of  bloodhounds.  All  the  Spanish  generals 
made  great  use  of  bloodhounds  in  their  contests 


THE    DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA.  153 

with  the  natives  of  these  countries.  These  dogs, 
when  used  thus  against  human  beings,  are  trained 
to  follow  the  scent  of  man,  and  in  doing  their  work 
they  become  as  ferocious  and  as  terrible  as  tigers. 
They  are  very  large,  being  more  than  two  feet 
high,  and  extremely  swift  of  foot.  When  once  put 
upon  the  track  of  a  fugitive  they  never  lose  the 
scent,  and  so  fierce  are  they  for  blood  that  often 
they  can  neither  be  called,  nor  pulled,  nor  beaten 
off,  when  once  they  have  seized  their  victim,  until 
they  have  killed  and  half  devoured  him. 

Narvaez  not  only  used  these  bloodhounds  to 
pursue  and  capture  Indians  on  his  march,  but  he 
sometimes,  as  was  the  custom  with  other  Spanish 
commanders,  used  them  as  executioners  to  carry 
into  effect  a  sentence  deliberately  pronounced  upon 
a  captive. 

In  one  case,  for  example,  he  became  very  much 
displeased  with  a  certain  chief  named  Hirrihigua, 
who  made  a  sort  of  treaty  of  peace  with  him,  as 
Narvaez  understood  it,  soon  after  he  crossed  the 
Suwanee.  Afterward  Narvaez  became  so  incensed 
with  something  which  Hirrihigua  had  done,  that 
he  ordered  his  nose  to  be  cut  off,  and  then  brought 
out  his  mother  and  set  the  bloodhounds  upon  her. 
The  bloodhounds  sprang  upon  her  with  the  utmost 
fury,  like  wild  beasts  upon  their  prey.  They 


THE   DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA. 

seized  her  by  the  throat,  killed  her  immediately, 
and  then  tore  her  to  pieces  and  devoured  her. 


TUB   EXECUTIONERS. 


INCREASING   DIFFICULTIES. 

These  and  similar  atrocities  perpetrated  by  Nar- 
vaez  on  his  advance  into  the  country  beyond  the 
Suwanee  exasperated  the  minds  of  the  Indians  to 


THE    DISCOVERY   OF   FLORIDA.  155 

the  last  degree.  The  tribes  made  common  cause 
against  him,  and  endeavored  to  harrass  and  impede 
his  march  in  every  possible  way.  There  were  no 
roads,  and  though  the  expedition  had  now  passed 
in  some  degree  beyond  the  region  of  the  swamps 
and  everglades,  they  found  instead  interminable 
forests,  which  were  everywhere  so  encumbered 
with  fallen  trees  and  dense  undergrowth,  that  the 
labor  was  immense  of  cutting  a  way  through  them. 
Both  men  and  horses  began  to  suffer  now  a  great 
deal  for  want  of  food,  for  Narvaez  had  brought  no 
provisions  with  him  except  a  two  days'  supply  at 
the  commencement  of  his  march.  He  had  trusted 
to  the  resources  of  the  country,  which  he  had  ex 
pected  to  find  populous  and  wealthy  like  the  king 
doms  of  Mexico  and  Peru.  The  horses  began  to 
give  out.  The  men.  too,  suffered  so  much  from 
hunger,  that  when  a  horse  could  march  no  further 

O 

they  slaughtered  him  for  food.  At  last  they  were 
reduced  to  such  short  allowance  that  for  two  or 
three  weeks  they  lived  mainly  upon  roots  and 
other  esculent  substances  which  they  found  in  the 
woods.  They  made  great  use  for  this  purpose,  it 
is  said,  of  certain  tender  leaves  that  grew  upon  the 
palmetto  tree.  They  made  every  possible  effort  to 
induce  the  Indians  to  supply  them  with  food,  but 
without  any  success. 


156  THE   DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA. 

ARRIVAL   AT    APALACIIE. 

They  pressed  on,  however,  notwithstanding  all 
these  difficulties,  being  cheered  by  the  intelligence 
that  there  was  a  town  at  some  distance  before 
them,  called  Apalache.  If  they  could  reach  that 
town  they  hoped  to  procure  there  all  that  they  re 
quired.  Great  was  their  disappointment,  however, 
when  at  last  they  reached  it,  to  find  that  it  con 
sisted  cf  a  miserable  Indian  hamlet  of  about  forty 
wigwams,  forsaken  and  desolate,  and  wholly  devoid 
of  every  thing  that  could  supply  their  wants  or 
minister  to  their  comfort,  except  to  furnish  them 
a  scanty  and  cheerless  shelter  from  the  winds  and 
rain.  The  inhabitants  had  abandoned  their  dwell 
ings  and  fled,  when  they  learned  that  the  invaders 
were  approaching. 

There  were,  however,  some  fields  of  corn  grow 
ing  near,  the  ears  in  which  were  beginning  to  get 
ripe,  thus  promising  a  moderate  supply  of  food. 
Narvaez  established  himself  in  the  deserted  village, 
and  though  he  was  attacked  two  or  three  times  by 
the  Indians  who  still  lurked  in  the  neighborhood, 
he  remained  there  for  nearly  a  month,  resting  and 
recruiting  his  men,  and  seeking  information  from 
every  quarter,  in  order  to  obtain  pome  light,  if 
possible,  to  aid  him  in  determining  what  course  td 
pursue. 


THE    DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA.  157 


NARVAEZ   TURNS  HIS   COURSE   TOWARDS   THE    SEA. 

After  making  diligent  inquiry  in  every  direc 
tion,  both  by  sending  out  scouts  and  explorers  to 
examine  the  neighboring  country,  and  by  closely 
questioning  every  Indian  that  he  could  lay  hands 
upon,  he  learned  that  the  country  before  and 
around  him  was  little  else  than  one  vast  solitude, 
filled  with  great  lakes  and  almost  impenetrable 
forests.  The  land  was  very  little  occupied.  The 
people  were  few  and  scattered,  and,  what  was 
worse,  extremely  poor.  There  was  no  place  in  all 
the  region  so  large  as  Apalache.  The  sea  lay  to 
the  southward,  and  was  about  nine  days'  journey 
distant  He  learned,  moreover,  that  there  was  a 
town  called  Aute  lying  in  that  direction,  the  in 
habitants  of  which  were  pretty  well  supplied  with 
the  common  food  of  the  country,  which  consisted 
of  maize,  beans,  pumpkins,  and  fish. 

Narvaez  determined  to  turn  to  the  southward. 
He  would  go  to  Aute  at  any  rate,  and  there  con 
sider  whether  to  proceed  onward  to  the  sea.  He 
accordingly  put  his  army  in  motion  again,  but  he 
found  the  difficulties  of  the  way  greater  than  ever. 
Immense  bodies  of  water  lay  spread  over  the  coun 
try  in  every  direction,  and  often  the  horses — the 
few  that  were  left — and  the  men,  were  compelled  to 


158  THE   DISCOVERY   OP   FLORIDA. 

wade  for  long  distances  through  these  marshes  and 
lagoons.  The  Indians  of  the  country  watched 
them  as  they  passed,  lying  in  wait  for  them  in 
every  thicket,  and  shooting  at  them  with  their 
arrows  from  behind  logs  and  trees.  In  this  man 
ner  many  of  the  men  were  killed,  and  still  more 
were  wounded,  while  the  Indians  almost  always 
escaped  with  impunity. 

This  march  continued  for  nine  days,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  the  expedition  arrived  at  Aute. 
They  found  the  village  deserted,  for  all  the  in 
habitants  had  fled  at  their  approach.  But  there 
were  large  corn-fields  growing  near,  with  corn 
nearly  ripe,  and  pumpkins  and  beans  in  abund 
ance.  Thus,  for  the  moment,  the  almost  famished 
soldiers  were  once  more  supplied  with  food. 


NARVAEZ   DISCOURAGED. 


Narvaez  was  now,  however,  becoming  effectually 
discouraged.  The  rich  and  powerful  kingdom 
which  he  had  hoped  to  discover  and  to  conquer, 
and  which  his  imagination  had  painted  in  such 
glowing  colors,  had  entirely  disappeared  from  his 
view,  and  was  replaced  by  a  dismal  picture  of 
swamps,  quagmires,  desolation  and  poverty,  cover 
ing  the  whole  land.  He  had  now  been  six  months 
journeying  through  the  country,  and  the  prospect, 


TIIE    DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA.  159 

instead  of  growing  brighter,  seemed  to  become 
darker  and  more  discouraging  every  day.  Slowly, 
reluctantly,  and  with  many  desperate  internal 
struggles  against  his  inevitable  fate,  he  determined 
to  make  his  way  to  the  sea — if,  indeed,  there 
should  prove  to  be  still  strength  left  in  his  ex 
hausted  men  to  accomplish  the  rest  of  the  jour 
ney—in  hopes  that  he  should  there  find  the  ships 
that  he  had  sent  along  the  shore,  or  at  least  learn 
some  tidings  of  them.  He  did  not  yet  entirely 
abandon  all  hope,  for  if  he  had  found  the  ships  he 
intended  to  continue  his  researches  some  distance 
further  to  the  west,  by  coasting  along  the  shore,  in 
hopes  of  finding  some  possible  chance  for  making 
a  new  attempt  to  land. 

BOAT  BUILDING  ON  THE   SEA  SHORE. 

The  sequel  of  this  melancholy  story  is  soon  told. 
After  toiling  on  for  some  days  longer,  Narvaez  at 
length  reached  the  sea,  but  nothing  was  to  be  seen 
or  heard  of  the  ships.  Narvaez  now  found  his 
condition  really  desperate.  The  men  were  too 
much  exhausted  by  hunger,  sickness  and  fatigue, 
to  move  any  further.  They  were,  besides,  growing 
insubordinate  and  mutinous,  and  his  authority  over 
them  for  any  other  purpose  than  that  of  contriving 
and  executing  some  plan  for  leaving  the  country 


160  THE    DISCOVERY   OF   FLORIDA. 

was  gone.  He  determined  therefore  to  undertake 
the  work  of  building  boats,  in  order  to  coast  along 
the  shore  in  them,  in  hopes  to  find  the  missing 
vessels,  and  perhaps,  in  the  last  resort,  to  attempt 
to  make  his  way  to  Cuba. 

But  how  to  build  these  boats  was  the  difficulty, 
for  he  had  neither  mechanics  nor  tools  for  the 
work,  nor  even  any  suitable  materials. 

While  he  was  pondering  the  difficulties  by  which 
he  was  thus  surrounded,  one  of  his  men  came  to 
him  in  his  perplexity  and  said  that  if  a  black 
smith's  forge  was  necessary  for  the  work  he 
thought  he  could  assist  in  making  one,  by  contriv 
ing  something  that  would  serve  for  bellows.  He 
could  make  pipes  out  of  reeds,  he  said,  and  attach 
to  them  a  bag  formed  of  the  skin  of  a  deer,  to 
contain  the  wind.  This  plan  was  at  once  carried 
into  effect.  A  forge  was  made,  and  immediately 
the  most  ingenious  of  the  men  were  set  to  work 
converting  all  articles  in  their  possession  that  were 
made  of  iron  into  boat-building  tools.  Stirrups, 
spurs,  cross-bows,  swords,  and  everything  else  of 
the  kind  that  could  be  spared,  were  heated  in  the 
forge,  and  converted  into  saws,  chisels,  axes,  and 
other  such  tools.  The  smaller  articles  were  fash 
ioned  into  nails,  and  the  work  of  building  the  boats 
was  commenced.  Timber  and  planks  were  ob- 


THE   DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA.  161 

tained  from  the  neighboring  woods.  A  substitute 
for  oakum  was  made  from  the  bark  of  the  palmetto 
tree,  while  the  pine  furnished  pitch  for  covering 
the  seams.  The  men  made  ropes  of  the  hair  taken 
from  the  manes  and  tails  of  the  horses — the  horses 
themselves  being  one  after  another  killed  for 
food — and  they  ripped  their  shirts  to  pieces  to  get 
cloth  for  the  sails. 

The  men  were  all  so  eager  to  make  their  escape 
from  the  country  that  they  worked  upon  the  boats 
with  the  utmost  diligence,  and  in  little  more  than 
a  fortnight  they  had  finished  five.  All  this  time 
they  lived  in  a  great  measure  upon  oysters,  which 
a  portion  of  the  company,  detached  for  this  pur 
pose,  dug  on  the  adjoining  shores.  The  work  of 
procuring  these  oysters  was,  however,  very  danger 
ous,  for  Indians  were  lying  in  ambush  all  the  time 
in  the  adjoining  thickets  ready  to  shoot  at  every 
one  whom  they  should  find  at  any  distance  from 
the  camp,  and  in  the  course  of  the  fortnight  they 
killed  ten. 

The  boats  were  about  thirty  feet  long.  There 
were  two  hundred  and  eighty  men  to  embark  in 
them.  These  were  all  that  remained  of  the  four 
hundred  that  had  landed  in  the  country  about  six 
months  before.  This  number  divided  among  the 
boats,  in  addition  to  the  necessary  stores,  over- 


1G2  THE    DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA. 

loaded  them  to  such  a  degree  that  when  they  were 
all  on  board  and  were  ready  to  set  sail,  the  gun 
wales  were  but  seven  or  eight  inches  out  of  the 
water. 

END    OF    THE    EXPEDITION. 

In  this  condition,  when  all  were  ready,  the  boats 
put  off  from  the  shore.  Of  course,  it  would  have 
been  certain  destruction  to  expose  such  embarka 
tions  as  these  to  the  open  sea,  and  so  the  little  fleet 
was  kept  in  smooth  water  inside  the  reefs  and  sand 
bars  and  low  islands  which  here  line  the  coast. 
They  steered  for  the  westward,  supposing  that  the 
vessels  had  gone  on  in  that  direction.  The  line  of 
boats  crept  thus  slowly  along  the  shore,  with  a 
terrible  danger  threatening  them  on  either  hand. 
Seaward,  just  outside  the  range  of  reefs  and  sand 
bars,  they  could  see  the  white  crests  of  the  seas 
rolling  in  and  threatening  to  overwhelm  them, 
while  along  the  margin  of  the  land  every  thicket 
concealed  a  party  of  exasperated  and  merciless 
enemies  thirsting  for  their  blood.  Between  these 
two  lines  of  danger  there  was  but  a  narrow  way 
along  which  they  could  pass,  so  as  to  be  safe  from 
the  surf  on  one  side  and  beyond  the  range  of  the 
arrows  on  the  other. 

They  went  on  in  this  way,  growing  weaker  and 


THE   DISCOVERY    OF   FLORIDA.  163 

weaker,  and  suffering  more  and  more  every  day, 
for  a  month.  One  thing  favored  them,  it  is  true. 
They  succeeded  in  capturing  one  or  two  Indian 
canoes,  by  which  means  they  were  enabled  to 
divide  and  so  lighten  their  loads.  They  often 
landed,  in  their  desperation,  to  seek  for  food, 
sometimes  attacking  an  Indian  village  to  procure 
it.  On  one  such  occasion  they  were  beaten  off  by 
the  Indians,  and  Narvaez  was  struck  in  the  face 
by  a  stone  and  very  seriously  wounded. 

At  last  one  night,  as  they  were  toiling  despair 
ingly  on,  in  the  vicinity,  it  is  supposed,  of  where 
the  town  of  Pensacola  now  stands,  being  reduced 
almost  to  the  last  extreme  of  destitution  and  suffer 
ing,  a  storm  came  up,  with  the  wind  blowing  off 
the  land.  The  men  were  lying  almost  lifeless  in 
the  boats,  many  of  them  too  weak  to  lift  an  oar. 
Narvaez  saw  now  that  the  end  had  come.  He  told 
his  officers  and  men  that  the  time  had  arrived  for 
each  one  to  take  care  of  himself.  He  released 
them  from  their  duty  to  him,  wished  them  success 
in  the  endeavors  which  any  of  them  might  make 
to  save  their  lives,  and  bade  them  farewell. 

The  boats  were  scattered  by  the  storm,  and 
all  but  one  was  driven  to  sea  and  lost.  One  suc 
ceeded  in  reaching  the  shore,  or  was  driven  upon 
it  at  some  projecting  point.  The  men  on  board  of 


164  THE    DISCOVERY   OF   FLORIDA. 

this  boat  were  almost  lifeless.  The  Indians,  find 
ing  them  in  this  piteous  condition,  had  compassion 
upon  them,  took  them  to  their  wigwams,  and  re 
stored  them  to  life. 

One  of  the  men  thus  saved  was  Alva  de  Vaca, 
the  secretary  and  paymaster  of  the  expedition,  be 
fore  referred  to.  He  was  carried  back  into  the  in- 
interior,  and  remained  a  captive  in  the  Indian 
country  for  eight  years.  In  the  course  of  that 
time  he  was  transferred  from  tribe  to  tribe,  and 
conveyed  from  one  territory  to  another,  first  across 
the  Mississippi  and  then  on  further  to  the  west, 
until  he  had  traversed  the  whole  continent,  and 
reached  California,  where  at  length  he  found  a 
Spanish  ship,  in  which  he  embarked,  and  in  due 
time  arrived  in  Spain.  He  was  received  on  his  re 
turn  as  one  that  had  risen  from  the  dead. 

This  De  Vaca  wrote  and  published  an  account 
of  the  expedition  of  Narvaez,  and  of  his  own  ad 
ventures  after  his  escape,  and  it  is  from  this  narra 
tive  that  the  facts  related  in  this  chapter  have  been 
derived. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

FEKNANDO      DE      SOTO. 
COMMENCEMENT     OF     DE     SOTO'S     CAREER. 

FERNANDO  DE  SOTO  is  immortalized  in  history 
as  the  discoverer  of  the  Mississippi  River.  It  is 
true  that  De  Vaca,  the  officer  who  was  saved  from 
the  expedition  of  Narvaez,  and  afterward  traversed 
the  country  to  California,  must  have  crossed  the 
Mississippi,  and  some  persons  have  thought  that 
Narvaez  himself,  in  his  boats,,  reached  the  mouth 
of  that  river  before  the  boats  were  lost.  But  this 
is  not  certain.  At  any  rate  De  Soto  was  the  first 
to  explore  any  considerable  portion  of  the  stream, 
and  to  make  its  existence  effectually  known  to 
mankind. 

De  Soto  was  a  Spanish  general,  and  he  first 
attracted  attention  in  his  day  by  various  exploits 
which  he  performed  in  Nicaragua  and  Peru,  in 
connection  with  the  famous  Pizarro.  Indeed,  he 
was  for  a  time  Pizarro' s  second  in  command,  but 
being  dissatisfied  with  the  portion  of  the  spoil 
which  fell  to  his  share  in  Peru,  although,  in  fact, 


166  FERNANDO   DE    SOTO. 

the  share  which  he  received  was  so  great  that  he 
was  enormously  enriched  by  it,  he  determined  to 
undertake  an  enterprise  on  his  own  account. 
After  long  revolving  the  subject  in  his  mind,  the 
plan  on  which  he  finally  settled  was  to  repeat  the 
attempt  in  which  Narvaez  had  so  signally  failed, 
as  related  in  the  last  chapter,  namely,  that  of 
making  the  conquest  of  Florida  and  establishing  a 
kingdom  there. 

The  term  Florida,  in  those  days,  was  not  re 
stricted  in  its  application  to  the  present  limits  of 
the  state  of  Florida,  but  was  applied  indefinitely  to 
the  whole  region  in  that  quarter  of  the  continent 
which  had  been  or  was  to  be  discovered. 

Since  the  attempt  of  Narvaez  ten  years  had  now 
elapsed,  and  no  one  had  thus  far  seemed  disposed 
to  repeat  the  undertaking  which  had  terminated  so 
disastrously  for  him.  Narvaez  had  penetrated  but 
very  little  way  into  the  interior,  and,  therefore, 
very  little  was  yet  known  of  the  country  except 
the  mere  aspect  of  the  shore.  De  Soto  imagined 
that  at  some  distance  within  there  might  exist 
cities  and  towns,  and  cultivated  fields,  and  a  semi- 
civilized  people  possessed  of  vast  treasures  of  gold 
and  silver,  such  as  had  been  found  so  abundant  in 
Mexico  and  Peru.  This  was  indeed  the  prevailing 
idea  among  these  adventurers  in  respect  to  all  the 


FERNANDO   DE    SOTO.  167 

regions  of  Central  America,  excepting  so  far  as 
they  had  been  explored,  and  no  information  had 
yet  been  received  in  relation  to  Florida  and  the 
adjacent  countries  which  was  calculated  to  dispel 
these  agreeable  illusions. 

OUTFIT   OF   DE   SOTO'S  EXPEDITION. 

As  soon  as  De  Soto  received  his  commission 
from  the  king  of  Spain,  and  the  nature  of  the 
enterprise  which  he  proposed  to  undertake  was 
made  known,  a  great  number  of  volunteers  offered 
to  join  him,  among  whom  were  many  gentlemen  of 
birth  and  education.  These  persons  were  attracted 
by  the  hopes  of  wealth  and  fame  which  they  were 
to  acquire  in  carrying  out  the  undertaking,  and 
they  had  great  confidence  in  De  Soto  as  a  com 
mander.  Besides  the  advantage  that  he  pos 
sessed  in  his  abundant  wealth,  which  enabled  him 
to  fit  out  his  expedition  in  the  most  perfect 
manner,  he  was  personally  a  man  of  great  energy 
of  character,  and  also  of  extraordinary  physical 
strength  and  power  of  endurance.  Indeed,  he  was 
in  every  respect  well  fitted  to  be  placed  at  the 
head  of  such  an  undertaking. 

He  sailed  from  Spain  in  the  month  of  April, 
1538,  with  a  fleet  of  ten  ships  and  an  army  of  a 
thousand  men. 


168  FERNANDO    DE   SOTO. 


DIFFICULTIES   AT   THE   OUTSET. 

In  company  with  De  Solo's  ship8  there  were  to 
go  out  several  other  vessels  destined  for  Mexico. 
The  commander  of  this  Mexican  fleet  was  a  certain 
Gonzalo  de  Salazar,  but  during  the  voyage  across 
the  Atlantic  the  whole  squadron  was  to  be  under 
the  general  command  of  De  Soto.  De  Salazar 
Avas  not  very  much  pleased  to  be  thus  put  under 
De  Soto's  orders,  even  for  a  time,  and  soon  after 
the  voyage  was  commenced — on  the  first  night,  in 
fact,  after  the  ships  had  put  to  sea — he  pressed  on 
in  advance  of  the  whole  fleet — his  vessel  having 
been,  it  seems,  the  best  sailer — thus  taking  pre 
cedence  of  his  superior  officer,  in  violation  of  all 
the  rules  of  naval  etiquette.  De  Soto  made  sig 
nals  for  him  to  fall  back,  but  when  he  found  that 
De  Salazar  did  not  regard  them  he  fired  upon  him 
twice  in  quick  succession.  The  first  shot  passed 
just  over  the  deck  of  Salazar's  vessel,  raking  it 
from  the  stern  to  the  bow,  cutting  through  the 
sails  in  its  course,  and  damaging  the  masts  and 
rigging.  The  second  shot  struck  the  hull  of  the 
ship,  and  carried  away  all  the  bulwarks  on  one 
side.  The  ship  was  thus  completely  disabled,  and 
as  De  Soto's  ship  was  coming  up  close  behind  at 
full  speed  the  two  vessels  came  into  collision,  and 


FERNANDO    DE   SOTO.  169 

the  rigging  became  entangled.  De  Soto's  men,  by 
his  orders,  sprang  to  the  yards  and  cut  away  the 
rigging  of  Salazar's  vessel  and  thus  cleared  his 
own  ship,  leaving  the  other  more  damaged  than 
ever. 

De  Soto  immediately  afterward  brought  Salazar 
to  trial  for  his  insubordination  and  disobedience, 
and  was  greatly  inclined  to  cut  off  his  head  ;  but 
upon  Salazar's  making  full  submission  and  begging 
for  his  life,  with  many  promises  of  good  behavior 
in  future,  he  finally  pardoned  him. 

ARRIVAL   ON   THE    COAST   OF   FLORIDA. 

The  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  was  made  in 
safety.  The  fleet  repaired  first  to  the  port  of  San- 
tiafo  in  the  island  of  Cuba.  De  Soto  remained  in 

o 

Cuba  for  some  time,  and  engaged  in  various  enter 
prises,  and  met  with  various  adventures  there, 
which  can  not  be  here  described.  He,  however,  at 
length  set  sail  for  the  coast  of  Florida,  where  he 
soon  arrived  in  safety ;  but  the  voyage  across  the 
Atlantic  had  occupied  so  much  time,  and  the  delay 
which  he  had  experienced  at  the  island  of  Cuba 
had  been  so  great,  that  it  was  more  than  a  year 
after  he  embarked  from  fepain  before  he  reached 
his  ultimate  destination.  He  arrived  in  sight  of 
land  about  the  middle  of  May,  1539.  He  cruised 


170  FERNANDO    DE   SOTO. 

along  the  coast  for  a  few  days,  until  at  length  he 
entered  a  bay,  supposed  to  be  the  one  now  called 
Tampa  bay,  but  which  he,  in  accordance  with  the 
spirit  of  religious  pretension  on  which  the  popular 
ity  of  these  expeditions  in  Spain  greatly  de 
pended,  called  the  bay  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  He 
immediately  made  arrangements  for  landing,  and 
succeeded  in  putting  about  three  hundred  men  on 
shore  that  night. 

The  landing  party  watched  all  the  time  very 
closely  for  Indians,  but  they  did  not  see  any  that 
night,  and  De  Soto  began  to  think  that  all  was  safe, 
and  that  he  should  be  able  to  effect  the  landing  of 
his  whole  force  before  any  should  appear. 

But  though  the  Spaniards  had  not  seen  any  of 
the  natives,  the  natives  had  seen  them,  and  had  in 
tentionally  kept  out  of  sight  themselves,  for  the 
purpose  of  putting  the  strangers  off  their  guard, 
intending  to  surprise  and  attack  them  as  soon  as  a 
favorable  moment  should  arrive. 

Accordingly,  the  next  morning,  just  before  day, 
when  De  Soto's  men  were  all  asleep  in  their  en 
campment,  the  Indians  made  a  sudden  irruption 
upon  them,  terrifying  the  men  with  vociferations 
and  yells  of  the  most  frightful  character,  and  over 
whelming  them  with  a  shower  of  darts  and  jave 
lins.  As  this  was  the  first  experience  which  De 


FERNANDO   DE   SOTO.  171 

Soto's  troops  Lad  had  of  such  an  attack,  they  were 
thrown  into  a  panic,  and  they  fled  precipitately 
down  to  the  beach.  The  alarm  was  soon  communi 
cated  to  the  ships,  and  assistance  was  sent  to  the 
men  on  shore,  and  finally  the  Indians  were  driven 
off.  De  Soto  himself,  however,  narrowly  escaped 
being  killed.  His  horse  was  killed  under  him  by 
an  arrow,  which  came  with  such  force  that  it  pene 
trated  through  the  covering  of  the  saddle,  and 
entered  seven  or  eight  inches  into  the  animal's 
body. 

The  Indians  now  fled,  leaving  the  way  clear  to 
the  invaders  to  advance.  De  Soto  accordingly, 
after  landing  all  his  forces,  marched  with  them 
about  two  miles  into  the  interior,  and  took  posses 
sion  of  a  village  of  wigwams  which  the  occupants 
had  abandoned  on  his  approach. 

DE   SOTO   OBTAINS   AN   INTERPRETER. 

At  the  time  when  Narvaez  made  his  invasion  of 
Florida,  as  related  in  the  last  chapter,  one  of  his 
men,  named  John  Ortiz,  had  been  captured  by  the 
Indians  and  taken  into  the  interior  of  the  country, 
where  he  had  been  saved  from  death  by  the  wife 
of  a  chieftain,  and  had  afterward  been  taken  as  a 
slave  by  another  chieftain,  with  whom  he  had  lived 
since  that  time.  His  master  had  kept  him  in  close 


172  FERNANDO    DE    SOTO. 

subjection,  and  had  employed  him  in  various  ser 
vile  labors,  but  had  in  other  respects  used  him 
well. 

The  name  of  this  chieftain  was  Mucozo,  which, 
being  interpreted,  means  the  Little  Bear.  When 
he  heard  that  a  party  of  white  men  had  landed  on 
the  coast,  he  determined  to  send  a  delegation  down 
to  meet  them  and  to  offer  peace.  So  he  organized 
a  troop  of  eighty  Indians,  and  putting  John  Ortiz 
at  the  head  of  them  sent  them  forth. 

In  the  mean  time  De  Soto  had  heard  that  Ortiz 
was  still  alive,  and  had  learned  in  some  way  where 
he  was,  and  he  determined  to  send  for  him.  So 
he  sent  off  a  detachment  of  sixty  horsemen,  under 
the  command  of  a  proper  officer,  to  proceed  to 
Little  Bear's  village  and  find  Ortiz  if  he  could, 
and  bring  him  in  to  the  camp.  The  Indian  troop 
sent  by  Little  Bear  and  the  squadron  of  horse  sent 
by  De  Soto  met  each  other  on  the  way. 

The  Indians  were  terrified  at  the  sight  of  the 
horses  and  fled,  advising  Ortiz  to  fly  with  them. 
He,  however,  would  not  do  so,  but  stood  his 
ground  until  the  Spaniards  came  up. 

Now  Ortiz  had  been  so  long  in  the  Indian  coun 
try  that  he  had  well  nigh  forgotten  his  own  lan 
guage,  and  being  dressed  like  the  Indians,  or 
rather  being,  like  them,  not  dressed  at  all,  for 


FERNANDO   DE   SOTO.  173 

they  wore  nothing  but  feathers  in  their  hair  and  a 
very  simple  garment  about  the  loins — he  was  not 
to  be  distinguished  from  one  of  the  savages.  And 
the  Spaniards  being  greatly  excited  at  the  sight  of 
the  Indians,  rushed  on  toward  them  as  soon  as  they 
saw  them  with  so  much  impetuosity,  in  spite  of 
all  the  eiforts  of  their  commander  to  restrain  them, 
that  Ortiz  would  have  been  run  over  and  killed  if 
he  had  not  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  make  the 
sign  of  the  cross.  He  did  this  by  holding  up  his 
bow  and  placing  his  arm  across  it  near  one  end. 
This  signal  arrested  the  attention  of  the  foremost 
of  the  troop,  so  that  they  wheeled  their  horses  in 
time  to  save  him. 

They  immediately  a?^ed  him  if  he  was  John 
Ortiz,  and  on  his  answering  that  he  was,  one  of 
them  took  him  up  behind  him  on  his  horse,  and 
the  whole  troop  returned  with  him  to  De  Soto'a 
camp. 


THE  STORY   OF  ORTIZ. 


The  account  which  Ortiz  gave  of  himself,  when 
he  had  so  far  recovered  his  recollection  of  his 
mother  tongue  as  to  be  able  to  tell  his  story, 
was  quite  singular.  He  said  that  he  came  to 
the  country  with  the  expedition  of  Narvaez  ten 
years  before.  He  did  not  land  with  the  other 


174  FERNANDO   DE   SOTO. 

troops,  but  remained  with  those  who  were  left  on 
board  the  vessels,  in  order  that  they  might  navi 
gate  them  along  the  coast.  This  party  had  orders 
to  watcli  at  every  place  where  they  could  approach 
the  shore  for  signals  from  the  land  party,  and  on 
one  occasion,  when  they  approached  the  land  in 
this  way,  they  saw  a  company  of  Indians  on  the 
beach,  making  signals  for  them  to  come  on  shore. 
This  the  commander  of  the  ships  at  first  refused  to 
do,  but  the  Indians  produced  something  white 
which  had  the  appearance  of  a  letter,  and  after 
waving  it  in  the  air  so  as  to  call  the  attention  of 
those  on  board  the  vessels  to  it,  they  put  it  into  a 
cleft  at  the  end  of  a  reed,  and  set  the  reed  up  in 
the  sand  on  the  beach.  They  then  withdrew  into 
the  thickets. 

The  captain  thought  that  the  paper  must  be  a 
letter  from  the  party  on  the  land,  and  that  it  had 
been  given  to  the  Indians  to  deliver  to  those  on 
board  the  ships,  and  he  finally  concluded  to  send 
a  boat  on  shore  to  get  it.  Four  persons  went  in 
this  boat,  and  among  them  was  Ortiz  himself. 
Ortiz  was  then  a  young  man  of  about  eighteen 
years  of  age. 

The  moment  that  the  four  boatmen  set  foot  upon 
the  beach  the  Indians  rushed  down  out  of  the 
thickets,  made  them  all  prisoners,  and  carried 


FERNANDO   BE   SOTO.  175 

them  into  the  interior  to  Hirrihigua,  the  chieftain 
whose  mother  Narvaez  had  caused  to  be  devoured 
by  bloodhounds.  It  seems  that  the  Indians  had 
been  sent  by  Hirrihigua  to  make  the  capture,  in 
order  that  he  might  have  the  means  of  revenging 
the  brutal  outrage  which  his  family  had  suffered. 

Accordingly,  after  keeping  the  prisoners  for  a 
short  time,  to  exhibit  them  in  the  neighborhood 
and  exult  over  them,  he  brought  them  out  one 
after  another  into  an  inclosure  arranged  for  the 
purpose,  and  exposed  them  there  to  be  shot  at  with 
arrows  and  javelins  by  any  of  the  tribe  that  chose 
to  join  in  the  work,  until  they  were  dead. 

When  three  of  them  had  been  disposed  of  in 
this  way,  and  the  turn  of  Ortiz  came,  two  of  the 
women — the  wife  and  daughter  of  the  chief — were 
moved  to  pity  by  his  youthful  appearance,  and 
begged  for  his  life.  "  This  is  only  a  boy,"  said 
they.  "  Do  not  kill  him."  Their  intercessions 
prevailed.  Ortiz  was  spared,  and  soon  afterward 
he  made  his  escape  from  Ilirrihigua  to  another 
chieftain,  who  received  and  protected  him,  and 
kept  him  in  his  household  from  that  day  forward 
as  a  slave. 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  CAMPAIGN. 

Do  Soto  remained  three  or  four  weeks  at  his 


176  FERNANDO   DE    SOTO. 

encampment  near  the  bay,  in  order  to  rest  and 
recruit  his  men  and  his  horses  after  their  voyage, 
and  also  to  make  preparations  for  his  proposed  cam 
paign  in  the  interior.  He  made  diligent  effort  to 
open  communications  with  the  chiefs  of  the  tribes 
inhabiting  that  neighborhood,  in  order  to  obtain  in 
telligence  in  respect  to  the  country.  Ortiz  could 
give  him  very  little  information,  as  he  had  been 
kept  closely  confined  in  one  place  during  his  cap 
tivity,  and  had  been  employed  wholly  in  menial 
occupations.  He,  however,  rendered  good  service 
as  an  interpreter. 

De  Soto  was  not  very  successful  in  cultivating 
a  good  understanding  with  the  chiefs.  They  had 
had  too  much  experience  of  the  treachery  and 
cruelty  of  the  Spaniards  in  the  visits  which  for 
mer  adventurers  had  paid  them  to  place  any  confi 
dence  in  his  promises,  and  though  they  sometimes 
pretended  to  be  friendly,  their  real  wish  was  to 
trammel  the  movements  of  the  hated  invaders  in 
every  possible  way,  and  in  the  end  either  to  eject 
them  from  the  country  or  destroy  them.  The  con 
sequence  was  that  skirmishes  and  fights  were  con 
tinually  breaking  out  between  the  Spaniards  and 
the  Indians,  by  which  the  former  were  much  har 
assed.  The  great  aim  of  the  Indians  was  to  draw 


FERNANDO    DE    SOTO.  177 

their  enemies  into  ambuscades,  or  into  the  swamps, 
where  their  horses  would  sink  into  the  mire. 

THE   ADVENTURE    OF   VASCO   PORCALLO. 

One  of  De  Soto's  lieutenants,  named  Vasco  Por- 
callo,  met  with  an  adventure  which  nearly  cost 
him  his  life,  and  entirely  discouraged  him  from 
proceeding  with  the  expedition.  He  went  out  one 
day  at  the  head  of  a  detachment  to  attack  a  party 
of  Indians.  The  Indians  lied  into  a  swamp.  Por- 
callo  ordered  his  men  to  follow  them.  The  men 
hung  back,  and  Porcallo,  to  set  them  a  good  ex 
ample,  rode  on  upon  the  soft  ground,  where  soon 
his  horse  began  to  sink,  and  finally  went  in  all 
over,  carrying  his  rider  with  him.  With  infinite 
difficulty  Porcallo  was  at  last  extricated,  though 
not  until  he  had  been  nearly  suffocated  in  the 
mire. 

He  was  a  man  somewhat  advanced  in  life,  and 
had  joined  De  Soto's  expedition  with  the  idea  that 
he  was  coming  to  a  rich  and  cultivated  country 
like  Mexico  and  Peru.  But  this  adventure,  taken 
in  connection  with  the  general  aspect  which  the 
enterprise  was  now  beginning  to  present,  deter 
mined  him  to  leave  the  work  to  younger  men/  So 
he  distributed  his  arms,  his  horses,  and  the  various 

accoutrements  and  appointments  which  he  had  pro- 

8* 


178  FERNANDO   BE   SOTO. 

vided  for  the  campaign  among  the  officers,  and 
went  again  on  board  his  ship  to  return  with  it  to 
Spain. 

DISPOSITION   OF   THE    FLEET. 

As  for  De  Soto,  his  resolution  still  remained 
firm.  He  was  very  confident  that  by  going  far 
enough  into  the  interior  he  should  find  the  rich  and 
fertile  country  which  he  sought.  Narvaez  had, 
after  all,  only  followed  the  line  of  the  coast  in  the 
expedition  which  he  had  made,  and  his  failure  was 
therefore  no  proof  that  there  might  not  be  a  popu 
lous  kingdom  and  a  wealthy  capital  further  in  the 
interior.  In  Mexico,  the  capital,  and  the  richest 
part  of  the  country,  had  been  found  at  a  great  dis 
tance  from  the  sea.  So  he  determined  to  send 
away  the  ships,  in  order  that  his  men  might  dismiss 
from  their  minds  all  idea  of  escaping  by  means  of 
them  in  case  of  a  reverse.  He  accordingly  landed 
all  the  provisions  and  military  stores,  and  then,  re 
serving  four  vessels  for  such  naval  operations  as  he 
might  wish  to  undertake  upon  the  coast,  he  sent 
the  rest  away. 

COMMENCEMENT   OF   THE   MARCH   INTO   THE   INTERIOR. 

At  length  the  day  arrived  for  the  expedition  to 
commence  its  march.  A  small  force  was  left  be- 


FERNANDO   DE    SOTO.  179 

bind  in  a  sort  of  fort  which  was  built  upon  the 
shore.  This  force  was  designed  to  guard  the  four 
vessels,  and  also  to  protect  a  reserve  of  provisions 
which  was  to  be  left  in  the  fort.  The  remainder 
of  the  troop,  horsemen  and  footmen,  with  officers 
splendidly  mounted  and  caparisoned,  were  mar 
shaled  in  marching  array,  and  when  all  was  ready 
the  commander  gave  the  order  to  advance,  and  they 
be^an  to  move  on,  The  train  extended  a  lon^  dis- 

o  O 

tnnce,  comprising,  as  it  did,  an  army  of  about  a 
thousand  men.  Pioneers  went  before  to  open  a 
way,  and  trains  conveying  artillery,  provisions  and 
baggage,  followed  in  the  rear.  Among  the  other 
means  which  had  been  provided  for  the  accomplish 
ment  of  the  objects  of  the  expedition  was  an  ample 
supply  of  blood-hounds,  to  hunt  the  Indians  out  of 
their  swamps  and  hiding  places,  and  also  a  com 
pany  of  twenty  or  thirty  priests  and  monks,  to 
assist  in  converting  them  to  Christianity ! 

HARDSHIPS   AND   DIFFICULTIES   OF   THE    MARCH. 

It  would  require  a  volume  to  relate  all  the  inci 
dents  and  adventures  which  are  described  by  the 
Spanish  historians  as  having  befel  the  army  of  De 
Soto  in  the  course  of  the  summer.  The  advance 
of  such  a  body  of  men  through  such  a  country, 
where,  of  course,  the  roads  and  bridges  were  all  to 


180  FERNANDO    DE   SOTO. 

be  made,  was  necessarily  extremely  slow.  The 
Indians  were  everywhere  hostile,  so  that  the  pro 
gress  of  the  expedition  was  almost  a  continual 
battle  rather  than  a  march,  and  the  hardships 
which  the  men  endured  were  greatly  aggravated 
by  the  difficulties  of  the  way. 

Of  course,  De  Soto  had  no  knowledge  of  the 
geography  of  the  country,  except  what  he  could 
obtain  by  his  scouts  and  explorers,  or  extort  from 
his  Indian  captives.  Some  of  these  last  he  com 
pelled  to  serve  as  guides.  They  pretended  to 
guide  him,  but  led  him  into  morasses  and  impene 
trable  thickets.  De  Soto  thought  they  did  this 
purposely,  and  to  teach  the  rest  a  lesson,  he  gave 
up  the  first  set  of  guides  to  the  blood-hounds,  to 
be  torn  to  pieces  and  devoured.  The  next  set,  he 
said,  brought  him  to  clearer  land. 

Sometimes  a  party  of  Indians,  after  being  de 
feated  in  a  battle,  would  be  driven  into  a  swamp 
or  stagnant  lake,  where  they  would  remain  for 
hours  in  the  water  and  slime,  the  Spaniards  firing 
at  them  all  the  time,  and  summoning  them  to  come 
out  and  surrender.  A  story  is  told  of  a  party 
that  remained  in  such  a  condition  at  one  time  from 
ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  night,  half  con 
cealed  in  sedges  and  reeds,  and  shooting  arrows  all 
the  time  at  their  assailants;  who  stood  surrounding 


FERNANDO    DE   SOTO.  181 

them,  in  the  outskirts  of  the  swamp,  on  the  hard 
ground.  In  order  to  furnish  a  stand-point  for  the 
one  who  was  to  shoot,  four  of  those  who  were  in 
the  water  would  put  their  shoulders  together,  and  a 
fifth  would  climb  up  and  stand  upon  them  long 
enough  to  discharge  the  arrow,  and  then  plunge 
down  into  the  water  again.  For  some  reason  or 
other  the  Spaniards  wished  to  capture  these  men, 
and  not  to  kill  them,  and  so  they  only  fired  over 
their  heads,  and  kept  guard  all  around  the  lake, 
making  signs  to  them  continually  to  surrender. 
The  Indians,  however,  refused  absolutely  to  do  so, 
and  remained  in  the  water  until  they  were  entirely 
exhausted.  Their  bodies  became  swollen  to  a 
frightful  degree.  The  Spaniards  at  last,  finding 
them  entirely  helpless,  swam  out  and  pulled  them 
to  the  shore  by  the  hair.  In  swimming  out  to 
them  they  took  their  swords  with  them  in  their 
mouths,  to  kill  them  if  they  should  attempt  to  re 
sist,  but  the  poor  wretches  were  so  far  gone  that 
they  could  do  nothing,  and  so  were  dragged  in  an 
almost  lifeless  condition  to  the  shore. 

INTENSE   HOSTILITY  OP   THE   INDIANS. 

In  this  manner,  and  with  a  continual  recurrence 
of  scenes  like  these,  the  vast  train  of  the  army 
slowly  advanced  through  the  country,  moving  at 


182  FERNANDO    DE   SOTO. 

an  average  rate  of  only  a  few  miles  a  day.  De 
Soto  took  a  course  leading  further  into  tlie  interior 
than  Narvaez  had  done,  but  the  general  direction 
of  his  march  was  the  same,  that  is,  toward  the 
northward.  lie  everywhere  endeavored  to  open 
negotiations  with  the  Indians,  and  to  establish  ami 
cable  relations  with  them,  by  friendly  pretensions 
and  specious  promises  ;  but  he  found  them,  almost 
without  exception,  implacably  hostile  to  him. 
They  either  refused  at  once  to  listen  to  any  propo 
sals  for  peace,  or  if  they  seemed  sometimes  for  a 
moment  inclined  to  accept  them,  it  was  only  to  gain 
some  advantage  by  putting  the  Spaniards  off  their 
guard,  or  drawing  them  into  an  ambuscade,  or  be 
traying  them  in  some  other  way. 

One  of  the  chiefs  to  whom  De  Soto  sent  pro 
posals  replied  in  bitter  reproaches  in  language  like 
this : 

"We  have  had  experience  of  such  people  as  you 
before.  Others  of  your  accursed  race  have  come 
in  years  past  to  poison  the  peace  and  happiness  of 
our  country,  and  they  have  taught  us  what  you 
are.  You  are  a  set  of  vagabonds,  whose  vocation 
it  is  to  wander  about  from  land  to  land,  to  rob  the 
weak,  to  betray  those  that  trust  in  you,  to  murder 
the  defenseless  in  cold  blood  and  with'out  provoca- 


FERNANDO    DE    SOTO.  183 

tion.  No.  We  want  no  peace  and  no  friendship 
with  such  marauders  as  you.  War — never  ending 
and  exterminating  war  is  what  you  will  meet  with 
at  our  hands.  I  have  sworn  not  to  cease  from  the 
conflict  so  long  as  a  single  white  man  remains  in 
the  land.  So  come  on  !  robbers  and  murderers  as 
ye  are !  We  are  ready  to  meet  you,  either  in 
open  battle  or  by  stratagem,  ambuscade  and  mid 
night  surprises,  and  every  prisoner  we  make  we 
will  hang  upon  the  trees  along  the  roadside." 

The  Indians  acted  everywhere  in  accordance 
with  this  spirit.  So  fierce  was  the  resentment 
that  had  been  awakened  in  their  minds  by  the 
cruelties  which  had  been  committed  by  former 
parties  of  invaders,  and  which  it  was  very  evident 
that  this  new  company  was  quite  ready  to  repeat, 
that  they  hovered  everywhere  in  ambuscade  on  the 
flanks  of  the  army  as  it  marched,  concealing  them 
selves  in  every  thicket  and  on  the  banks  of  every 
stream,  and  shot  down  without  mercy  all  that  they 
could  reach  with  their  javelins  or  their  arrows. 
They  were  not  satisfied  even  with  killing  the  hated 
intruders,  for  they  dug  up  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
from  the  graves  in  which  their  comrades  buried 
them,  in  order  to  cut  them  into  quarters  and  hang 
the  dissevered  members  on  the  trees. 


184  FERNANDO    DE    SOTO. 

PROGRESS   OP   THE   EXPEDITION. 

De  Soto  continued  his  march  to  the  northward 
during  the  first  summer,  and  made  his  winter 
quarters  during  the  season  of  1538-9  at  a  place 
which  he  called  Anhayca,  which  is  supposed  to 
have  been  near  where  the  city  of  Tallahassee  now 
stands.*  In  the  following  spring  he  turned  his 
course  more  decidedly  into  the  interior  of  the 
country,  taking  a  northeasterly  direction,  which  at 
last  brought  him  to  the  Savannah  River,  at  a  point 
quite  distant  from  its  mouth.  His  winter  quar 
ters  here  were  at  a  place  which  he  called  Cofachi- 
qui.  He  had  come  to  this  place  in  hopes  of  finding 
mines  of  gold  and  silver  here,  having  received  in 
formation  to  that  effect  from  some  of  his  Indian 
guides.  When  he  arrived,  however,  he  found  no 
gold  or  silver,  nor  any  indications  that  there  were 
any  known  mines  near.  He  remained  in  that  re 
gion  during  the  winter — this  was  the  winter  of 
1539-40.  In  the  spring  of  1540  he  put  his 
troops  in  motion  again,  to  continue  his  explora 
tion.  He  now,  however,  turned  his  course  and 
took  a  northwesterly  direction,  one  which  would 
lead  him  still  further  into  the  interior  of  the 
country. 

*  See  map  at  the  commencement  of  the  next  chapter. 


FERNANDO    DE    SOTO.  185 

Although  De  Soto  had  been  greatly  disappoint 
ed  at  not  finding  the  gold  and  silver  which  he  had 
hoped  for  on  the  banks  of  the  Savannah,  his  pros 
pects,  on  the  whole,  soon  after  this  time  began  to 
grow  somewhat  brighter.  The  country  became 
more  open,  and  there  were  more  frequent  marks 
of  cultivation.  The  native  population,  too,  was 
now  more  numerous ;  the  villages  and  towns — if 
towns  they  might  be  called— were  more  frequent, 
and  the  conveniences  and  comforts  which  they  con 
tained  for  the  use  of  the  troops  occupying  them 
were  more  considerable.  In  all  his  conflicts  with 
the  Indians  he  had  been  successful,  and  he  had 
made  a  vast  number  of  prisoners.  These  he  had 
impressed  into  his  service  as  laborers.  He  em 
ployed  them  to  carry  the  baggage  of  his  troops, 
and  otherwise  to  aid  in  the  labors  attendant  upon 
such  a  march.  He  had  in  the  end  several  thou 
sand  of  these  captives  in  his  train. 


THE   CAPTIVE   PRINCESS. 


Sometimes  De  Soto  was  received  ostensibly  in  a 
friendly  manner  by  the  chiefs  through  whose  coun 
try  he  passed,  and  in  such  cases  he  would  often,  in 
continuing  his  march,  take  the  chief  with  him, 
nominally  as  a  guest,  but  really  as  a  prisoner. 
With  the  chief  there  were  usually  taken  a  large 


186  FERNANDO    DE    SOTO. 

number  of  the  people  of  the  tribe,  who  were  em 
ployed  as  bearers  of  burdens  in  the  manner  above 
described ;  and  one  object  of  requiring  the  chief  to 
join  the  army,  too,  in  such  cases  was  that  his 
presence  might  make  the  men  more  contented,  and 
that  he  might  aid  the  commander  in  arranging  and 
managing  them. 

At  one  time  De  Soto  was  received  by  a  tribe 
whose  chief  was  a  female.  The  historians  of  this 
march,  who  usually  described  these  scenes  in  very 
glowing  colors,  for  effect  at  home,  and  gave  every 
tiling  a  grand  and  romantic  name,  called  her  a  prin 
cess.  Whatever  may  have  been  her  proper  title  she 
evidently  was  possessed  of  great  influence  in  her 
tribe,  and  De  Soto  determined  to  take  her  with 
him  on  his  march  to  the  westward.  She  dissem 
bled  her  real  feelings  and  made  no  objection  to 
going.  De  Soto  made  arrangements  to  have  her 
conveyed  upon  a  sort  of  palanquin,  or  rather  litter, 
made,  in  the  Indian  fashion,  with  poles  and  mats. 
Upon  this  vehicle  she  was  conveyed  by  bearers, 
being  attended  also  by  a  guard,  nominally  one  of 
honor,  but  really  of  safety,  to  prevent  her  escape. 

Things  went  on  in  this  way  very  prosperously 
until  the  army  reached  the  frontier  of  the  princess' 
dominions,  and  then  suddenly,  watching  her  oppor 
tunity  when  her  keepers  were  off  their  guard,  she 


FERNANDO    DE    SOTO. 


187 


leaped  in  an  instant  from  the  litter,  and  before  the 
Spaniards  who  had  her  in  charge  could  recover 
from  their  astonishment  they  saw  her  flying 


>  m 

if     ^ 


ESCAPE    OF   THE    CAPTIVE    PRINCESS. 


through  the  forest  like  a  deer,  followed  by  two  or 
three  faithful  attendants  whom  she  had  contrived 


188  FERNANDO    DE    SOTO. 

to   initiate  into  her  plans.     Pursuit  was  obviously 
useless,  and  the  fugitive  was  never  recovered. 

TUSCALOOSA. 

Marching  slowly  on  in  this  way,  in  the  summer 
of  1540  De  Soto  came  to  the  river  Coosa,  the 
banks  of  which  were  very  fertile  and  beautiful, 
and  were  inhabited  by  a  very  powerful  tribe,  the 
chief  of  which  was  named  Tuscaloosa.  De  Soto 
had  contrived,  soon  after  entering  the  valley,  to 
get  Tuscaloosa  into  his  hands,  and  he  was  now 
conducting  him — half  captive  and  half  guest — 
together  with  other  chieftains  similarly  situated, 
who  were  following  in  the  train  of  the  army,  down 
the  river  toward  Tuscaloosa's  capital,  a  town  called 
Mauvila. 


APPROACH   TO    MAUVILA. 


Mauvila,  it  seems,  was  quite  a  considerable  town. 
It  contained  eight  or  ten  large  lodges,  each  of 
which  was  intended  for  the  accommodation  of  sev 
eral  families.  These  lodges  were  quite  substan 
tially  built,  and  were  covered  with  thatch.  The 
town  was  surrounded  by  an  inclosure  of  stout 
palisades,  consisting  of  strong  posts  set  firmly  into 
the  ground,  close  together,  with  loopholes  at  regu 
lar  intervals  for  arrows,  and  openings  for  gates  on 


FERNANDO    DE    SOTO.  189 

the  different  sides.  In  fact,  the  place  was  the 
most  important  Indian  stronghold  in  all  that 
region. 

Tuscaloosa  and  the  other  Indians  who  accom 
panied  De  Soto  on  his  march  down  the  river  pre 
tended  to  go  with  him  willingly,  and  to  be  on  per 
fectly  friendly  terms  with  him.  They  described  to 
De  Soto  the  situation  and  strength  of  the  town, 
and  though  it  was  not  large  enough  to  allow  of  the 
whole  army  being  quartered  within  the  walls,  the 
officers  and  their  personal  attendants,  they  said, 
together  with  the  most  valuable  of  the  baggage, 
might  be  taken  inside,  while  the  main  body  of  the 
troops  might  encamp  near  by. 

This  arrangement  it  was  concluded  to  carry  into 
effect,  and  the  troops  moved  on,  immense  numbers 
of  apparently  friendly  Indians  accompanying  and 
following  them  down  the  Coosa  river  to  its  junction 
with  the  Alabama  river,  and  thence  down  the  Ala 
bama  toward  the  town  * 

A  column  of  several  thousand  men  is  usually 
separated  into  several  divisions,  in  advancing 
through  a  country  not  hostile,  the  divisions  march 
ing  at  some  little  distance  from  each  other.  In 
this  case  a  large  body  of  Indian  burden-bearers, 

*  See  map  at  the  commencement  of  the  next  chapter. 


190  FERNANDO    DE    SOTO. 

loaded  with  provisions  and  military  stores,  and  ac 
companied  by  a  suitable  escort,  went  on  in  advance, 
with  orders  to  enter  the  town  when  they  arrived, 
and  store  the  baggage  in  the  lodges  within.  At  a 
short  distance  behind  them  came  De  Soto,  with  a 
body  of  one  hundred  foot  and  one  hundred  horse. 
Next  came  more  Indians.  The  remainder  of  the 
army,  consisting  of  about  seven  or  eight  hundred 
men,  were  left  to  come  on  by  easy  marches,  as  it 
was  not  necessary  that  they  should  reach  the  town 
until  the  baggage  and  the  vanguard  had  been  dis 
posed  of  there,  and  a  place  of  encampment  chosen 
and  made  ready  for  the  rest. 

As  the  army  went  on  in  this  way  down  the  val 
ley,  and  began  to  draw  near  the  town,  De  Soto 
observed  certain  mysterious  movements  among  the 
Indians,  which  excited  his  suspicions  in  some  de 
gree,  but  he  did  not  pay  much  attention  to  them. 
Perhaps,  situated  as  he  was,  there  was  nothing  that 
he  could  do  effectually  to  guard  against  treachery, 
if  treachery  were  intended.  lie  marched  on  at  the 
head  of  his  two  hundred  men  until  he  reached 
the  gates  of  the  town.  The  Indian  bearers  had 
arrived  before,  and  all  the  baggage  had  been 
taken  in.  As  he  advanced  toward  the  gates  every 
thing  seemed  quiet,  and  he  supposed  that  all  was 
well. 


FERNANDO    DE    SOTO.  191 


TERRIBLE    REVERSE   AT   1IAUVILA. 

As  soon  as  DC  Soto  and  his  troops  arrived,  the 
horsemen  dismounted,  unsaddled  the  horses,  and 
tied  them  to  the  trees.  De  Soto  and  his  immedi 
ate  attendants  entered  the  town.  The  infantry 
stacked  their  arms,  and  the  soldiers  began  to  wan 
der  about  the  place,  examining  the  fortifications 
and  such  other  objects  as  attracted  their  attention, 
when  suddenly,  at  the  moment  when  the  whole 
body  were  most  completely  off  their  guard,  there 
arose  one  wild  and  unearthly  yell,  both  from  within 
and  without  the  town,  and  from  the  margin  of  the 
woods  environing  it,  and  the  whole  body  of  In 
dians,  who  had  been  so  quiet  and  apparently  so 
harmless  a  moment  before,  became  transformed  in 
an  instant  to  ferocious  combatants,  all  in  a  perfect 
frenzy  of  rage.  Men  armed  with  arrows  and  jave 
lins  seemed  to  spring  up  out  of  the  ground.  Mul 
titudes  poured  in  from  the  neighboring  thickets, 
and  multitudes  more  sprang  up  from  hiding  places 
within  the  town,  where  they  had  lain  concealed. 
The  Spaniards  rushed  to  their  horses  and  to  their 
arms.  Before  they  could  get  possession  of  them, 
bowever,  forty  of  the  horses  were  killed,  and  also 
great  numbers  of  the  men. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  scene  of 


192  FERNANDO    DB   SOTO. 

terror,  confusion,  and  slaughter  which  followed. 
De  Soto  contrived  to  get  out  of  the  town  and  to 
place  himself  at  the  head  of  his  men,  whom  he  at 
length  succeeded  in  marshaling  into  some  sort  of 
array,  and  a  long  and  bloody  battle  ensued.  In 
the  midst  of  it  the  town  was  set  on  fire.  The  roofs 
being  covered  with  thatch,  the  flames  spread  with 
surprising  rapidity,  and  great  quantities  of  very 
valuable  baggage  were  consumed.  In  the  end, 
however,  after  a  combat  of  nine  hours,  the  Indians 
were  driven  away,  and  the  Spaniards  were  left  in 
possession  of  the  ground,  though  not,  it  was  said, 
until  after  twenty-five  hundred  of  the  Indians,  and 
among  them  Tuscaloosa  himself,  had  been  slain. 

HORRIBLE    CONDITION   OF   THE   ARMY   AFTER   THE   BATTLE. 

Although  De  Soto  and  his  troops  had  thus  really 
gained  the  victory,  and  had  driven  their  foes  from 
the  ground,  still  their  own  situation  after  the  battle 
was  over  was  perfectly  horrible.  The  thickets  in 
every  direction  around  them  were  filled  with  the 
bodies  of  dead  Indians,  which  there  were  no  means 
of  burying.  Their  own  men  were  worn  out  by 
the  fight.  Many  of  them  were  killed,  and  a  very 
large  number  that  had  not  been  killed  had  been 
pierced  with  arrows  arid  javelins,  and  were  now 
lying  upon  the  ground  in  agony,  filling  the  air 


FERXANDO    DE   SOTO.  193 

•with  heart-rending  cries  and  earnest  entreaties  for 
succor.     It  was  reckoned  that  there  were  seventeen 
hundred  spear  and  arrow  wounds   to   be  dressed, 
and  there  were   scarcely  any  persons  qualified  to 
dress  them.     The  men  who  remained  unhurt  could 
have  no  rest,  but  were  obliged  to  engage  at  once  in 
labors  of  the   most  urgent  necessity.     Some  were 
set   to   work  at   building    huts   with   branches  of 
trees,    to   furnish   shelter    for   the   wounded  men. 
Others  were   employed   in  cutting  up  the  horses 
that  had  been  killed,  to  preserve  the  flesh  for  food. 
Others  tore  up  their  shirts  to  make  lint,  and  others 
cut  open  the  bodies  of  the  dead  Indians  to  obtain 
from  them  such  parts  as  would  yield  fat  for  making 
an    ointment,    to    be    employed    in    dressing    the 
wounds.     Horrible  as  this  resource  was,  no  other 
remained,   for  all   the  medical  stores,    as  well   as 
every  thing  else   that  was  valuable,  had   been  de 
stroyed  by  the  fire. 

In  a  word,  there  was  perhaps  never  an  army 
which  was  left  after  a  victory  in  a  more  dreadful 
situation  than  they. 

A  week  was  spent  in  meeting  the  immediate  and 
urgent  demands  arising  out  of  the  necessities  of  the 
occasion,  and  when  at  length  some  degree  of  order 
was  restored,  and  the  distress  and  terror  of  the 
scene  were  somewhat  abated,  so  that  the  com- 


194  FERNANDO    DE    SOTO. 

mander  could  have  time  to  reflect  upon  the  condi 
tion  in  which  he  was  placed,  he  soon  found  that 
the  situation  and  prospects  of  the  expedition  were 
now  entirely  changed.  Not  only  had  his  own 
army  becomo  greatly  disorganized,  but  the  Indians 
all  over  the  country,  who  had  been  apparently 
friendly  for  some  time  previous,  had  now,  he  found, 
assumed  universally  an  attitude  of  open  war. 
They  were  beginning  to  form  grand  preparations 
for  a  combined  attack  upon  him.  He  had  lost 
almost  all  his  baggage.  The  stores  of  goods  which 
he  had  brought  for  trading  with  the  Indians,  and 
nearly  all  the  conveniences  and  comforts  provided 
for  the  use  of  the  army,  had  been  destroyed. 
Many  of  the  soldiers  had  lost  every  thing  except 
the  clothes  which  they  were  wearing  when  the  at 
tack  took  place.  They  were  also  all  beginning  to 
feel  greatly  disheartened  and  discouraged,  and  even 
to  form  conspiracies  for  preventing  De  Soto  from 
proceeding  any  further.  It  was  folly,  under  such 
circumstances,  they  said,  to  attempt  to  go  on. 
The  only  thing  that  remained  for  them  to  do  was 
to  make  the  best  of  their  way  to  the  shore,  and 
there  endeavor  to  find  some  means  of  escaping  by 
sea.  This  they  determined  should  be  done,  and  they 
began  secretly  to  concert  together  measures  for 
carrying  their  determination  into  effeot. 


FERNANDO    DE    80TO.  195 

DE    SOTO'S   DETERMINATION. 

De  Soto  received  some  intimations  of  the  exist 
ence  of  this  mutinous  spirit  among  his  men,  and  to 
ascertain  whether  the  report  which  was  brought  to 
him  was  true,  he  disguised  himself  one  night  and 
walked  through  the  camp,  listening  to  the  conver 
sation  which  he  heard.  His  suspicions  were  fully 
confirmed.  lie  overheard  a  conversation  in  the 
tent  of  the  treasurer  and  paymaster  of  the  army — 
an  officer  of  high  rank  and  influence — which  con 
vinced  him  that  unless  he  was  prepared  to  give  up 
the  further  prosecution  of  the  enterprise,  he  must 
lose  no  time  in  moving  on  into  the  interior,  and 
away  from  the  vicinity  of  the  shore.  And  inas 
much  as,  notwithstanding  the  severe  blow  that  he 
had  received,  his  own  indomitable  spirit  was  not 
yet  broken,  he  determined  to  march  to  the  north 
ward  without  any  delay. 

THE   GREATEST   OP   TOE    LOSSES   FROM  THE    FIRE. 

It  is  a  very  curious  circumstance  that  the  Span 
ish  historians  who  have  recorded  these  events  say 
that  the  loss  which  the  army  felt  more  seriously 
than  all  the  rest,  in  this  destruction  of  their  stores 
and  effects  at  Mauvila,  was  that  of  a  small  supply 
of  wheat  flour  and  of  wine,  which  the  priests  had 
brought  with  them  for  celebrating  the  Lord's  Sup- 


196  FERNANDO    DE    SOTO, 

per  in  the  Mass.  These  precious  supplies  were 
packed  with  the  most  valuable  part  of  the  baggage, 
and  were  in  the  town  when  the  fire  broke  out,  and 
so  were  consumed.  Great  was  the  distress  of  the 
priests — and  also  of  the  whole  army,  if  we  may  be 
lieve  what  the  historians  say — at  this  loss,  which 
they  considered  the  most  serious  of  all  the  terrible 
results  of  the  calamity.  The  priests  held  a  solemn 
consultation  to  determine  whether  the  use  of  a 
bread  made  of  maize,  for  the  holy  communion, 
would  be  allowable  in  an  emergency  like  this ;  but 
after  mature  deliberation  they  decided  that  it  would 
not  be.  Nor  had  they  any  substitute  for  the 
wine.  All  the  holy  sacerdotal  garments,  too,  in 
which  the  priests  were  accustomed  to  officiate  at 
the  altar,  had  been  consumed. 

The  consequence  was  that  from  this  time,  on 
Sundays  and  on  other  days,  when  mass  should 
have  been  said,  the  army  was  assembled  as  usual, 
and  the  service  was  read,  with  all  the  prayers, 
litanies,  chantings,  incense  burnings,  and  other 
ceremonies  belonging  to  it,  but  with  the  omission 
of  the  part  relating  to  the  bread  and  wine.  They 
called  the  service  thus  performed  a  dry  mass. 
For  sacerdotal  garments  the  priests  made  imita 
tions  of  those  that  were  lost  as  well  as  they  could, 
from  deer  skins  which  they  procured  of  the  Indians. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DISCOVERY    OF    THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 
DETERMINATION   OP    DE    SOTO   TO    PROCEED. 

IT  was  toward  the  latter  part  of  November, 
1540,  that  De  Soto  set  out  again  upon  his  march, 
after  the  battle  of  Mauvila.  He  took  a  northerly 
direction,  with  a  view  of  penetrating  further  into 
the  interior  of  the  country.  His  hope  and  expec 
tation  were  to  find  some  pleasant  and  fertile  region 
where  he  could  establish  a  colony,  in  case  he 
should  finally  fail  of  discovering  mines  of  gold  and 
silver,  or  any  native  population  possessed  of  cities 
and  towns  worth  conquering  and  retaining.  His 
hopes,  however,  after  all,  were,  it  seems,  not  very 
sanguine.  Indeed,  it  was  rather  by  the  influence 
of  pride,  forbidding  him  to  go  back,  than  by  that  of 
hope,  encouraging  him  to  proceed,  that  his  resolu 
tion  was  sustained.  He  was  very  deeply  chagrined 
at  the  disappointments  and  mortifications  which 
had  befallen  him,  and  he  became  moody,  discon 
tented,  and  irritable.  Still  he  was  determined  not 
to  yield. 


200     DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 


PASSAGE  OF  THE  TUSCALOOSA  RIVER. 

The  army  moved  on  by  slow  marches  six  days. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  the  vanguard  approached  a 
village  on  the  bank  of  a  river,  where  they  saw 
fifteen  hundred  men  drawn  up  ready  to  oppose 
their  passage.  De  Soto  sent  forward  a  messenger 
to  propose  peace  and  friendship.  The  Indians  re 
plied  that  they  would  make  no  peace  with  him  on 
any  terms.  On  the  contrary,  they  desired  nothing 
but  a  war  of  fire  and  blood. 

De  Soto  brought  up  his  troops  into  battle  array 
and  attacked  the  Indians.  After  a  short  resistance 
they  retreated  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  paddled 
across  the  stream  in  canoes  which  they  had  pre 
viously  placed  there  ready  for  the  purpose.  As 
soon  as  they  had  reached  the  opposite  shore  they 
established  themselves  there  at  different  stations  up 
and  down  the  bank,  ready  apparently  to  resist  any 
attempt  that  the  invaders  might  make  to  pass 
over. 

De  Soto  sent  a  body  of  men  into  the  woods  at 
some  distance  from  the  river,  where  their  opera 
tions  could  not  be  observed  by  the  Indians  on  the 
other  side,  and  set  them  at  work  there,  making  two 
very  large  flat-bottomed  boats,  for  the  use  of  the 
army  in  crossing  the  river.  It  required  a  fort- 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.     201 

night  to  finish  the  boats.  When  they  were  com 
pleted  two  great  trucks  were  made  on  which  to 
draw  them  to  the  water,  and  a  road  was  opened. 
The  boats  were  hauled  to  the  bank  of  the  stream, 
on  these  trucks,  in  the  night.  They  were  very 
heavy,  and  a  large  number  of  mules  and  horses 
were  required  to  draw  them,  the  men,  too,  pushing 
behind.  Each  boat  was  large  enough  to  carry  ten 
mounted  horsemen  and  forty  foot  soldiers. 

The  horsemen  went  on  board  the  boats  mounted, 
in  order  that  they  might  be  ready  to  ride  on  shore 
and  rush  forward  into  battle  without  an  instant's 
delay,  if  there  should  be  occasion,  and  the  foot  sol 
diers  were  all  completely  armed. 

Notwithstanding  all  their  precautions  for  keep 
ing  these  operations  secret,  their  movements  were 
observed  by  the  Indians,  and  when  the  two  boats 
reached  the  bank  and  the  troops  disembarked,  they 
found  a  large  force  ready  to  receive  them.  The 
troops  landed  amid  a  shower  of  arrows,  but  they 
advmced  boldly  and  drove  the  Indians  away.  The 
boats  immediately  returned  for  more  troops.  The 
party  that  had  landed  were  thus  very  soon  rein 
forced,  so  that  the  Indians  retreated,  and  before 
nightfall  not  one  was  to  be  seen. 

The  Spaniards  then  took  the  two  boats  to  pieces 
in  order  to  recover  the  nails  which  had  been  used 

9* 


202     DISCOVERY    OF    THE    MISSISSIPPI   RIVER. 

in    constructing    them,    and    immediately  resumed 
their  march. 

JOHN   ORTIZ   AS   AN   INTERPRETER. 

A  curious  incident  occurred  not  long  after  this 
which  illustrates  the  ideas  that  Ortiz  entertained 
in  respect  to  his  duty  as  an  interpreter.  The 
place  where  it  occurred  was  at  a  certain  Indian 
village  named  Chicaza.  The  army  arrived  here 
about  the  middle  of  December,  and  as  the  season 
was  BO  far  advanced  and  the  weather  was  very 
cold,  and  as  the  natives,  moreover,  in  that  region 
seemed  more  than  usually  friendly,  De  Soto  de 
termined  to  make  that  place  his  winter  quarters. 
Of  course,  while  he  remained  it  was  very  impor 
tant  to  retain,  as  far  as  possible,  the  good-will  of 
the  Indians,  and  he  accordingly  gave  very  strict 
orders  to  all  the  troops  that  no  injury  should  be 
done  to  any  of  the  natives  of  the  country  under 
any  pretext  whatever. 

Notwithstanding  these  orders,  four  of  the  sol 
diers  went  one  day  to  the  lodge  of  a  chief  who 
lived  about  four  miles  from  the  camp,  and  robbed 
the  family  of  some  furs  and  mantles.  The  Indians 
were  greatly  enraged  at  this,  and  those  living  near 
began  to  remove  to  a  greater  distance. 

As   soon   as  De    Soto   learned   these   facts   ho 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.     203 

caused  the  soldiers  to  be  brought  before  him,  and 
sentenced  two  of  them — the  ringleaders  in  the 
affair — to  be  beheaded. 

Now,  for  some  reason  or  other,  a  strong  desire 
to  save  the  life  of  one  of  these  men  soon  manifested 
itself  in  the  army.  The  name  of  this  man  was 
Francesco  Orsorio.  lie  was,  perhaps,  a  general 
favorite  among  his  comrades,  or  possibly  there 
may  have  been  some  extenuating  circumstances  in 
his  case,  which  they  thought  palliated  his  crime. 
At  any  rate,  a  strong  sympathy  was  felt  for  him, 
and  the  priests  and  the  officers  of  the  army  went 
to  De  Soto  and  begged  him  to  mitigate  the  sen 
tence,  at  least  so  far  as  to  spare  Orsorio's  life. 

But  De  Soto  was  inexorable.  The  men  must 
die,  he  said,  and  he  ordered  them  to  be  taken  out 
into  the  open  ground  before  the  encampment  to  be 
beheaded. 

While  the  preparations  for  the  execution  were 
going  on  a  deputation  of  Indians  arrived  from  the 
chief  who  had  been  robbed,  to  make  complaint  to 
the  commander,  and  to  demand  that  the  men 
should  be  punished.  Ortiz  was  called  in  to  inter 
pret  what  these  messengers  had  to  say.  As  he 
was  going  in  several  officers  of  rank,  who  were 
interested  in  saving  Orsorio's  life,  intercepted  him 
and  directed  him  what  to  do.  He  went  in,  and 


204     DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI   RIVER. 

when  the  Indians  made — in  their  own  language,  of 
course — the  statement  and  complaint  which  had 
been  intrusted  to  them  by  the  chief,  and  De  Soto 
turned  to  Ortiz  to  ask  him  to  interpret  the  mes 
sage,  Ortiz  replied  that  the  meaning  of  what  the 
messengers  had  said  was,  that  the  chief  did  not 
wish  to  have  the  men  punished,  that  they  had  done 
no  serious  injury,  and  that  he  should  take  it  as  a 
favor  if  De  Soto  would  pardon  them  and  set  them 
at  liberty. 

De  Soto  hearing  this  determined  to  pardon  the 
men,  and  he  sent  out  orders  that  the  execution 
should  be  stayed.  At  the  same  time  he  directed 
Ortiz  to  say  to  the  messengers  that  although  he 
had  intended  to  behead  the  men,  still,  since  the 
chief  himself  interceded  for  them,  he  would  pardon 
them. 

This  message  Ortiz  falsified,  too,  as  he  did  the 
other.  He  told  the  messengers  that  De  Soto  said 
that  the  culprits  were  already  in  prison,  and  that 
they  should  be  punished  in  the  severest  manner  for 
their  crime,  so  as  to  make  an  example  of  them  to 
the  whole  Spanish  army. 

DE   SOTO   UNHORSED   IN   BATTLE. 

Hostilities  afterward  broke  out  between  the 
Spaniards  and  this  tribe,  and  in  the  course  of  a 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE   MISSISSIPPI   RIVER.      205 

battle  which  took  place  Be  Soto  was  for  a  few 
moments  in  a  situation  of  the  most  imminent  dan 
ger,  having  been  unhorsed  in  the  middle  of  the 
fight.  lie  was  in  the  act  of  raising  his  lance  to 
strike  at  an  Indian  who  was  to  the  left  of  him,  and 
in  doing  so  he  brought  his  weight  stiongly  upon 
the  right  stirrup,  in  order  to  give  greater  force  to 
the  blow,  and  in  consequence  of  this  the  saddle 
turned — the  girth  not  having  been  properly  se 
cured.  De  Soto  fell  to  the  ground,  and  if  other 
men,  both  horsemen  and  footmen,  had  not  rushed 
at  once  to  the  spot,  he  would  have  been  instantly 
killed.  The  men,  however,  who  came  up  kept  the 
Indians  at  bay  until  the  fallen  man  was  raised 
from  the  ground,  and  the  saddle  replaced  and  se 
cured.  De  Soto  immediately  leaped  upon  the 
horse's  back  and  rode  on  into  the  fight  again. 

THE  ONLY  WOMAN  IN  THE  ARMY. 

There  was  but  a  single  European  woman  con 
nected  with  De  Soto's  expedition.  She  was  the 
wife  of  a  soldier,  and  had  come  out  with  her  hus 
band  from  Spain.  She  lost  her  life  about  this 
time,  endeavoring  to  save  her  pearls.  The  Indians, 
though  they  had  very  little  gold  or  silver,  pos 
sessed  a  considerable  number  of  pearls  of  greater  or 
less  value,  such  as  are  produced  in  the  rivers  of 


208     DISCOVERY   OF   THE   MISSISSIPPI   RIVER. 

that  part  of  the  country.  The  soldier's  wife  had 
obtained  some  of  these  pearls,  and  she  ran  back 
into  a  burning  house  belonging  to  a  village  which 
the  Indians  had  set  on  fire  in  the  night,  in  order 
to  save  them.  She  forced  her  way  into  the  house, 
but  in  attempting  to  come  out  she  was  arrested  by 
the  smoke  and  flames,  and  was  afterward  found 
burned  to  death. 


SINGLE   COMBAT. 


In  one  of  the  battles  fought  by  the  army  in  the 
course  of  this  season  an  occurrence  took  place 
which  was  more  like  the  deeds  of  chivalry  per 
formed  by  French  and  English  knights  among  the 
castles  of  Normandy,  or  between  the  Christians 
and  the  Saracens  in  the  crusades,  than  like  an  in 
cident  of  Indian  warfare.  The  two  armies  were  on 
opposite  sides  of  a  small  river,  each  defying  the 
other,  when  an  Indian,  separating  himself  from  his 
companions,  went  down  to  the  bank  of  the  river, 
armed  with  his  bow  and  arrow,  and  there,  shouting 
out  to  the  Spaniards  on  the  other  side,  he  con 
trived,  partly  by  words  and  partly  by  signs,  to 
signify  that  he  challenged  any  one  of  them  to  take 
a  bow  and  arrow  too,  and  come  down  to  the  shore 
and  fight  him  at  single  combat, — shooting  across 
the  stream.  One  of  the  soldiers,  hearing  this,  a 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.      207 

man  named  Juan  dc  Salinas,  declared  that  he 
would  accept  the 'challenge,  and  he  accordingly  pre 
pared  to  leave  the  thicket,  where  he  had  taken 
refuge  with  several  of  his  companions,  to  go  down 
the  bank.  One  of  his  companions  offered  to  go 
with  him  to  hold  a  shield  over  him  while  he  was 
shooting.  But  Salinas  said  he  would  take  no  ad 
vantage.  He  preferred  to  go  alone.  So  he 
walked  down  to  the  brink  of  the  stream,  and  took 
his  stand  opposite  the  Indian.  He  was  armed  with 
a  cross-bow,  a  weapon  which  was  much  in  use  in 
European  armies  in  those  days. 

Both  the  Spaniard  and  the  Indian  shot  at  the 
same  moment,  and  the  two  arrows  passed  each 
other  in  crossing  the  stream.  The  Spaniard's 
shaft  struck  the  Indian  in  the  breast.  The  poor 
man  would  have  fallen  had  it  not  been  that  the 
other  Indians  who  were  standing  by  ran  up  at  the 
instant,  supported  him,  and  bore  him  away.  The 
Indian's  arrow  struck  the  Spaniard  in  the  neck, 
and  passing  through  just  under  the  skin,  it  re 
mained  in  the  wound,  crossing  the  neck.  Salinas 
walked  back  to  his  companions  in  the  thicket,  bear 
ing  the  arrow  still  in  his  neck,  and  exhibiting  it 
triumphantly,  to  show  how  lightly  he  had  himself 
been  touched,  while  his  antagonist  had  been  mor 
tally  wounded. 


208     DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 


LANGUAGE    OF   SIGN§, 

The  Indians  often  displayed  great  ingenuity  in 
conveying  their  meaning  by  signs,  whether  they 
wished  to  make  offers  of  peace,  or  to  express  hos 
tility  and  defiance.  On  one  occasion,  when  they 
were  separated  from  the  Spaniards  by  a  river,  but 
yet  were  in  full  view  of  them,  they  built  a  very 
large  fire,  and  then  taking  one  of  their  companions 
they  first  made  motions  as  if  knocking  him  on  the 
head.  He  pretended  to  fall,  as  if  stunned.  Four 
of  the  others  then  took  him  up  by  his  arms  and 
legs,  and  swung  him  to  and  fro,  as  if  they  were 
going  to  throw  him  into  the  fire — the  others  beck 
oning  to  the  Spaniards  and  pointing  to  the  man 
while  they  were  swinging  him,  to  signify  that  that 
was  the  way  they  intended  to  serve  the  Spaniards 
themselves  whenever  they  should  get  them  into 
their  power, 

ARRIVAL  ON  THE  BANKS  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  April,  1541,  that  the 
expedition  came  in  sight  of  the  Mississippi.  At 
the  place  where  they  arrived  on  the  bank  there  was 
a  town  called  Chisca.  At  one  end  of  the  town  was 
the  residence  of  the  chief.  It  was  built  upon  a 
high  artificial  mound,  and  the  only  \\  ay  of  access  to 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.      209 

it  was  by  a  sort  of  ladder.  As  soon  as  the  army 
came  in  sight  of  the  town,  those  in  the  van  rushed 
forward  into  it  in  confusion,  and  began  taking  pos 
session  of  every  thing  they  saw.  They  made 
prisoners  of  all  the  Lillians  that  they  could  seize, 
and  began  pillaging  tiio  houses. 

The  chief  who  ruled  over  the  tribe  was  old  and 
infirm,  and  he  was  at  this  time  lying  ill  in  his  bed. 
But  hearing  the  uproar  in  the  village,  he  aroused 
himself  and  insisted  on  going  forth  to  repel  the  in 
vaders.  But  the  women  and  the  other  attendants 
around  him  held  him  back.  They  told  him  that 
the  enemy  who  had  come  upon  them  was  a  body  of 
very  large  and  powerful  men,  such  as.  had  never 
been  seen  before,  and  that  it  was  useless  to  attempt 
to  drive  them  back  by  force.  It  would  be  far  bet 
ter,  they  said,  to  pretend  friendship  for  them  for  a 
little  time,  until  the  chief  could  send  around  to  the 
neighboring  country  and  obtain  help  from  other 
tribes. 

By  this  time,  too,  Do  Soto  had  arrived,  and  had 
succeeded  in  restoring  some  degree  of  order  in  the 
town.  Finally  a  sort  of  treaty  was  made  by  which 
the  chieftain  agreed  to  allow  De  Soto  to  remain  in 
his  country  in  peace,  in  order  to  rest  and  refresh 
his  men,  on  condition  that  the  prisoners  and  the 


210     DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 

pillage   which  the   soldiers   had  taken  should  be 
restored. 

The  prisoners  and  the  pillage  were  accordingly 
surrendered,  and  De  Soto  remained  at  peace  in  this 
encampment  for  six  days. 

ASPECT   OF   THE   RIVER. 

The  river,  at  the  point  where  De  Soto  first 
came  upon  it,  was  very  wide,  and  the  torrent  of 
water  which  was  rushing  along  in  the  bed  of  it  was 
so  great  and  rapid  that  De  Soto  was  filled  with 
astonishment  at  the  magnificence  of  the  spectacle. 
The  water  was  extremely  turbid,  too,  and  was 
filled  with  floating  trees  and  all  sorts  of  rubbish. 
De  Soto  named  the  stream  the  Great  River,  or, 
as  expressed  in  the  Spanish  language,  the  Rio 
Grande.  Well  might  he  give  it  that  name,  for  it 
was  altogether  the  greatest  river  that  civilized  man 
had  at  that  time  ever  seen. 

The  banks  were  so  steep  and  high  that  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  descend  to  the  water.  De 
Soto,  surrounded  by  his  officers  and  by  the  prin 
cipal  persons  in  the  army,  stood  upon  the  margin 
of  the  bank,  and  as  they  looked  down  upon  the 
boiling  and  surging  torrent  that  was  sweeping  so 
majestically  by,  they  were  filled  with  emotions  of 
wonder  and  delight. 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE   MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.      211 


SEARCH  FOR   A   CROSSING  PLACE. 

De  Soto  wished  to  continue  his  march,  but  the 
work  of  transporting  such  an  army  as  his  across  the 
river,  with  all  the  horses,  stores  and  baggage,  was, 
of  course,  likely  to  be  an  undertaking  of  great 
difficulty.  After  remaining  for  a  week  where  he 
was,  to  rest  and  refresh  his  men,  he  put  the  expe 
dition  in  motion  again,  intending  to  march  along 
the  bank  of  the  river,  in  an  ascending  direction, 
until  he  should  find  a  place  where  it  would  be  prac 
ticable  to  cross  it. 

He  went  on  in  this  way,  following  the  windings 
of  the  river  for  many  days,  but  finding  the  bank  so 
steep  every  where  that  it  would  be  impossible  to 
get  boats  down  to  the  water  for  conveying  the  army 
across.  At  length  he  came  out  to  an  open  plain 
near  the  river,  where  there  was  an  excellent  placo 
for  an  encampment,  with  a  forest  of  good  timber 
near  for  building  boats,  arid  a  practicable  slope 
from  the  bank  to  the  water.  Here  De  Soto  halted, 
and  the  work  of  building  boats  was  commenced. 

A    FLEET   OF   CANOES. 

One  day  during  the  time  that-  the  Spaniards 
remained  at  this  encampment  waiting  for  the  boats 
to  be  built,  they  saw  a  fleet  of  nearly  two  hundred 


'212    DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 

canoes  coming  down  the  river.  The  canoes  were 
filled  with  armed  Indians,  their  skins  painted  in  a 
frightful  fashion,  and  their  heads  and  various  other 
parts  of  their  bodies  adorned  with  feathers,  beads, 
porcupine  quills,  and  many  other  barbaric  decora 
tions.  They  carried  shields  made  of  buffalo  hides, 
stretched  upon  frames  of  suitable  size  and  form. 
Some  of  the  men  in  each  boat  stood  ready  with 
these  shields  to  shelter  the  men  who  paddled,  while 
others  occupied  commanding  positions  in  the  bow 
and  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  armed  with  bows  and 
arrows. 

There  were  some  canoes  which  were  conspicuous 
among  the  rest  on  account  of  their  greater  size  and 
more  fanciful  decorations.  These  larger  boats  had 
awnings,  also,  to  shelter  the  persons  occupying 
them.  They  wrere  the  canoes  of  the  Cazique,  as 
the  Spaniards  called  him,  and  of  his  principal 
officers  and  attendants. 

On  hearing  of  the  approach  of  these  canoes  De 
Soto,  attended  by  his  principal  officers,  came  down 
to  the  shore.  The  canoes  continued  to  advance 
until  they  came  near  enough  to  the  shore  to  open 
a  parley.  The  Cazique,  standing  up  in  his  canoe, 
addressed  De  Soto,  saying  that  he  had  come  to 
make  a  treaty  of  friendship  with  him,  and  to  offer 
his  assistance  in  case  anything  that  he  could  do 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.     213 

would  be  of  service  to  the  strangers.  He  had 
heard,  he  said,  that  the  ccrnmarider  of  the  expedi 
tion  was  the  most  powerful  prince  and  warrior  in 
the  whole  earth,  and  he  came  accordingly  to  ex 
press  his  satisfaction  at  being  visited  in  his  domin 
ions  by  a  personage  so  renowned. 

De  Soto  suspected  that  these  fine  words  were 
only  a  mask  to  cover  and  conceal  some  treacherous 
design.  He,  however,  gave  the  Cazique  a  polite 
reply,  speaking,  of  course,  as  the  Cazique  had 
done,  through  interpreters,  and  invited  him  to 
come  on  shore  that  they  might  converse  with  each 
other  more  conveniently.  The  Cazique  made  no 
direct  answer  to  this  proposal,  but  instead  of 
coming  on  shore  himself  he  sent  forward  three  of 
his  canoes,  with  presents,  in  token  of  friendship. 
The  presents  consisted  of  fruit  and  a  kind  of  bread 
made  of  the  pulp  of  the  persimmon,  which  is  a 
species  of  plum. 

De  Soto  again  invited  the  chief  to  land,  but  he 
btill  kept  off  from  the  shore,  and  De  Soto  fearing 
that  the  force  in  the  canoes  might  make  an  attack 
upon  him,  ordered  his  men  to  be  marshaled  in 
order  of  battle.  The  Indians  seeing  this  were 
alarmed,  and  turning  their  canoes  began  to  paddle 
away.  The  Spaniards  sent  a  shower  of  arrows 
from  their  crossbows  after  them.  Five  or  six  of 


214     DISCOVERY    OF    THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 

the  Indians  were  killed  and  many  more  were 
wounded.  The  canoes  continued  their  retreat  in 
good  order,  the  men  with  the  shields  covering  and 
protecting  those  who  paddled. 

The  act  of  firing  upon  the  Indians  under  these 
circumstances  would  seem  to  be  wholly  unprovoked 
and  unjustifiable.  Probably  De  Soto  was  con 
vinced  that  the  intentions  of  his  visitors  were 
really  hostile,  and  that  his  best  policy  was  to 
strike  terror  into  them  by  acting  decisively  at  the 
outset. 

The  canoes  remained  in  the  neighborhood  for 
some  days  after  this  and  seemed  to  be  intending  to 
make  an  attack,  but  they  finally  went  away  and 
left  the  Spaniards  to  go  on  with  their  boat  building 
in  peace. 

CROSSING  THE   MISSISSIPPI. 

In  about  three  weeks  the  boats  were  completed. 
There  were  four  of  them.  They  were  built  in  the 
most  solid  and  substantial  manner,  being  flat-bot 
tomed  in  form  and  of  very  large  size. 

The  building  of  the  boats  was  kept  secret  as 
much  as  possible,  in  order  to  prevent  the  Indians 
from  discovering  the  design  of  the  expedition  to 
cross  the  river.  When  the  boats  were  ready  they 
were  drawn  to  the  bank  of  the  river  and  launched, 


DISCOVERY    OF    THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.     2 

in  the  night.  The  passage  of  the  troops  also  was 
to  be  commenced  in  the  night,  so  that,  if  possible, 
a  considerable  force  might  be  transported  and  es 
tablished  on  the  opposite  bank  before  the  Indians 
could  be  apprised  of  their  coming,  and  thus  assem 
ble  to  oppose  them. 

The  boats  were  manned  and  the  troops  embarked 
on  board  of  them  about  three  hours  before  day. 
Four  horsemen  went  in  each  boat,  all  mounted,  and 
ready  to  leap  their  horses  out  upon  the  beach  the 
instant  that  the  boats  should  touch  the  ground. 
The  party  had,  of  course,  no  means  of  knowing 
whether  they  would  find  an  enemy  at  the  landing 
or  not. 

The  distance  was  so  great  across  the  river — for 
the  stream  was  there  about  a  mile  and  a  half  wide 
—  that  even  in  the  day  time  a  man  could  scarcely 
be  discerned  on  the  opposite  bank.  In  the  night 
the  bank  itself  could  not  be  seen,  so  that  as  the 
boats  left  the  shore  and  went  out  over  the  surface 
of  the  water  the  men  could  see  nothing  before  them 
but  darkness  and  gloom,  while  all  around  them  the 
water  was  sweeping  wildly  by  in  vast  whirlpools 
and  boiling  surges,  threatening  to  bear  them  irre 
sistibly  away,  with  the  floating  trees  and  matted 
masses  of  drift  wood  which  it  had  already  subjected 
to  its  will. 


216     DISCOVERY    OF   THE   MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 

It  seems  that  the  water  shoaled  very  gradually 
on  the  farther  shore,  so  that  the  boats  grounded 
when  they  were  still  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from 
the  dry  land.  The  horsemen  immediately  leaped 
their  horses  over  the  bows  and  then  advanced 
rapidly  up  through  the  shoal  water  to  the  bank. 
They  found  no  one  there  to  oppose  them.  The 
foot  soldiers  were  immediately  landed,  and  the 
boats  returned  for  a  new  load. 

The  process  of  transporting  the  troops  and  the 
baggage  occupied  nearly  the  wrhole  day,  but  about 
two  hours  before  the  sun  went  down  all  were 
safely  over. 

The  men  took  the  boats  to  pieces  to  recover  the 
nails,  as  they  had  done  before,  and  then  the  expe 
dition  resumed  its  march.  The  direction  which  it 
followed  was  toward  the  northward,  ascending  the 
river,  though  moving  at  some  distance  from  the 
banks,  in  order  to  avoid  the  low  lands  and  the 
windings  of  the  stream. 

GRAND   RELIGIOUS   CEREMONY 

A  singular  incident  occurred  at  a  distance  of 
some  days'  journey  from  this  place.  The  chief  of 
a  certain  tribe  came  to  De  Soto  with  a  request 
that  he  and  his  men  would  pray  to  their  God  for 
rain,  for  the  country  was  parched  with  drought, 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI   RIVER.     217 

and  they  had  exhausted  all  their  prayers  and 
incantations  without  any  effect. 

De  Soto  determined  to  accede  to  this  request. 
lie  caused  the  largest  tree  that  could  be  found  in 
the  forest  to  be  felled,  and  from  it  the  carpenter 
made  a  cross  of  immense  size.  The  Spaniards  set 
up  this  cross  upon  an  elevation  on  the  bank  of  a 
small  river,  and  performed  a  solemn  mass  around 
it  in  the  presence  of  a  concourse,  it  was  said,  of 
fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  savages,  who  assembled 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  to  watch  the  pro 
ceedings.  A  grand  procession  was  formed,  con 
sisting  of  the  whole  army,  except  a  small  guard 
left  to  protect  the  camp.  This  procession,  headed 
by  the  priests,  moved  round  the  mound  on  which 
the  cross  was  erected  in  a  slow  and  solemn  step, 
chanting  the  litany  as  they  marched,  and  singing 
hymns.  When  the  ring  was  formed  the  whole 
procession  fell  upon  their  knees,  and  prayers  were 
offered  by  the  priests  for  rain.  The  service  was  con 
nected  with  various  other  imposing  ceremonies,  such 
as  are  prescribed  by  the  Catholic  ritual. 

The  Indians,  it  is  said,  were  greatly  impressed 
by  the  solemnity  of  this  spectacle,  and  the  narrator 
of  these  occurrences  adds  that  on  the  same  night 
the  whole  country  was  refreshed  with  a  copious 
shower. 

10 


218     DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 


INCIDENTS   OF   THE   MARCH. 

The  expedition  continued  after  this  to  ascend 
the  river  for  some  time,  and  met  with  a  great 
variety  of  incidents  and  adventures,  which  cannot 
here  be  particularly  described.  They  found  the 
land  extremely  fertile  and  the  scenery  charming. 
The  country  was,  moreover,  quite  populous,  being 
occupied  by  many  different  tribes,  some  of  which 
possessed  towns  of  considerable  size  and  many 
fields  of  maize.  With  some  of  these  tribes  De 
Soto  made  treaties  of  peace  and  friendship. 
Against  others  he  made  war.  Sometimes  he 

o 

would  form  a  league  with  one  chieftain  to  fight 
with  him  against  some  other  one,  his  rival  and 
enemy.  He  very  often  received  urgent  requests  to 
form  alliances  of  this  kind. 

In  one  case  of  this  kind  two  young  and  beauti 
ful  wives  of  a  certain  chieftain  had  been  taken  cap 
tive,  and  they  remained  for  some  time  in  the  hands 
of  the  enemy.  Afterward,  through  De  Soto's  in 
fluence,  they  were  restored.  But  the  chief,  their 
husbanl,  when  they  were  brought  back,  offered 
them  as  a  present  to  De  Soto.  De  Soto  declined 
to  receive  them.  Then  the  chief  asked  him  to  give 
them  to  some  of  his  officers  or  soldiers,  for,  accord 
ing  to  the  customs  of  the  Indians,  he  could  not  re- 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.      219 

ceive  into  his  household   again  wives  who  had  once 
been  held  as  captives  by  his  enemy. 

Accordingly  De  Soto,  knowing,  as  it  was  said, 
how  cruelly  women  were  sometimes  treated  in  cases 
like  this,  by  their  former  friends,  received  the  two 
discarded  wives,  and  allowed  them  to  go  on  with 
the  expedition,  among  the  other  followers  of  the 
camp.  Their  names  were  Macanoche  and  Mo- 
kifa. 

DE  SOTO   BEGINS   TO  BE   DISCOURAGED. 

Notwithstanding  the  general  fertility  and  beauty 
of  the  country,  De  Soto  was  more  and  more  dis 
satisfied  the  further  he  proceeded,  both  with  the 
results  which  he  had  thus  far  attained  and  with  his 
prospects  for  the  future.  Beauty  and  fertility 
were  not  what  he  was  seeking.  His  object  was 
gold,  and  there  was  no  gold  to  be  found.  He  went 
on  toward  the  northward  as  far  as  to  a  certain  town 
named  Coligoa,  and  there,  thinking  it  useless  to 
proceed  any  further  in  that  direction,  he  concluded 
to  turn  his  course,  and  to  journey  for  a  while 
toward  the  south  and  west.  He  went  on  in  this 
way,  meeting  with  a  great  variety  of  adventures, 
which  cannot  be  here  described,  until  at  last  he 
reached  a  place  called  Utianqua,  on  the  Arkansas 
river.  The  Indians  had  informed  him  that  there 


220      DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 

was  a  great  lake  at  this  place,  which  he  hoped 
would  prove  an  arm  of  the  sea ;  for  he  was  now 
fast  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  the  time  was 
drawing  near,  if  it  had  not  already  arrived,  when 
he  must  begin  to  think  of  the  means  of  withdraw 
ing  from  the  country. 

He  found  no  arm  of  the  sea  at  Utianqua,  and 
not  even  the  promised  lake.  But  the  summer  and 
autumn  were  now  well  nigh  gone,  and  so  he  made 
a  friendly  arrangement  with  the  tribe  that  occupied 
the  country  in  that  region,  and  concluded  to  spend 
the  winter  there.  He  set  his  men  at  work,  with 
the  help  of  their  Indian  slaves,  to  build  a  fort  and 
village  of  huts,  and  there  the  army  remained  until 
spring. 

During  the  winter  De  Soto  had  full  time  to  re 
flect  upon  his  position.  His  hopes  of  finding  a 
country  rich  either  in  gold  and  silver,  or  in  other 
wealth,  which  he  could  conquer  and  possess,  had 
well  nigh  faded  away.  He  had  lost  nearly  half  his 
troops,  so  great  had  been  the  hardships  and  suffer 
ings  of  various  kinds  to  which  they  hnd  been  ex 
posed.  His  horses  had  nearly  all  perished  from 
fatigue,  or  been  killed  and  eaten  for  food.  His  in 
terpreter,  Ortiz,  was  dead,  and  he  found  infinite 
difficulty  in  communicating  with  the  new  tribes  of 
Indians  that  he  now  met  with  on  his  way.  He  had 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.      221 

brought  on  \vith  him,  it  is  true,  persons  to  servo  as 
interpreters  from  all  the  different  provinces  through 
which  he  had  passed,  but  the  only  way  of  under 
standing  the  natives  of  the  country  where  he  was 
then  sojourning  was  by  having  what  they  said 
translated  in  succession  from  one  of  these  interpret 
ers  to  another,  back  through  all  the  dialects  inter 
vening  between  the  Arkansas  liver  arid  Tampa  bay. 
The  questions  asked  and  the  answers  returned  had 
sometimes  to  pass  in  this  manner  through  eight  or 
ten  different  languages  or  dialects  before  De  Soto 
could  obtain  the  information  that  he  desired,  and 
then  the  purport  of  what  wras  said  was  often  so 
changed  and  perverted  by  mistakes  and  mistransla 
tions  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  procure  any 
intelligence  on  which  he  could  rely. 

DETERMINATION   TO   TURN    TOWARD   THE   SEA. 

Accordingly,  when  'the  spring  opened,  he  deter 
mined  to  make  the  best  of  his  way  toward  the  sea. 
This  was  in  the  spring  of  1542.  He  broke  up  his 
camp  and  set  out  upon  his  march,  intending  to  go 
down  the  Arkansas  river  to  the  Mississippi,  and 
then  to  follow  that  river  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
into  which  he  supposed  it  must  empty.  What  the 
distance  was  he  had  no  idea,  but  he  knew  well  that 
by  going  down  the  river  he  must  sooner  or  later 


222      DISCOVERY    OP    THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 

come  to  the  mouth  of  it  on  the  shore  of  the  sea, 
and  there,  if  he  could  not  build  vessels  sufficient  for 
the  conveyance  of  the  whole  expedition,  he  could 
at  least  build  one,  and  by  this  means  communicate 
with  Cuba,  and  thus  obtain  any  assistance  that  he 
might  desire. 

The  army  moved  slowly  on,  but  the  difficulties 
and  hardships  which  they  encountered  seemed  now 
to  increase  at  every  step.  They  set  out  too  early 
in  the  spring,  and  their  march  was  impeded  by 
snow  storms  and  cold  rains,  which  made  every  thing 
wet  and  cheerless,  and  greatly  increased  the  fatigue 
and  suffering  of  the  men.  The  Indians,  too,  be 
came  more  and  more  hostile,  and  they  harassed  the 
army  exceedingly  on  their  march.  There  was  no 
alternative,  however,  but  to  press  on.  The  army, 
therefore,  continued  to  advance,  but  the  strength 
and  spirits  of  the  commander  were  failing  sensibly 
every  day. 

SICKNESS   AND   DEATH   OF  DE   SOTO. 

At  length  the  expedition  reached  the  Mississippi, 
at  an  Indian  town  named  Guachoya,  but  here  new 
difficulties  and  embarrassments  awaited  them.  The 
Indians  were  extremely  hostile.  There  was  great 
difficulty  in  crossing  the  river.  De  Soto  himself, 
too;  was  now  seriously  ill.  He  was  convinced  that 


DISCOVERY    OP    THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.      223 

he  could  proceed  no  further,  lie  ordered  his  men 
to  encamp  and  to  fortify  their  position,  for  they 
were  surrounded  by  hordes  of  hostile  Indians  that 
were  thirsting  for  their  blood.  Double  guards 
were  set.  The  horses  were  kept  caparisoned,  and 
the  soldiers  slept  upon  their  arms.  The  anxiety 
necessarily  attendant  on  this  state  of  things  in 
creased  De  Soto's  malady.  He  fell  into  a  burning 
fever,  and  was  soon  fully  convinced  that  his  end 
was  drawing  near. 

He  accordingly  called  the  officers  of  the  army  to 
his  couch  and  formally  appointed  one  of  his  gene 
rals,  named  Luis  de  Moscoso  de  Alvarado,  as  his 
successor  in  the  command  of  the  army,  and  he 
charged  all  the  others  to  submit  to  his  authority, 
and  to  sustain  him  in  the  exercise  of  it  by  every 
means  in  their  power.  lie  also  caused  the  soldiers 
to  be  called  in  around  him,  in  companies  of  twenty 
and  thirty  at  a  time,  and  in  this  manner  gave 
them  his  dying  injunctions  and  bade  them  fare 
well. 

Having  thus  done  all  in  his  power  to  secure  the 
safety  and  welfare  of  the  army  after  his  death,  De 
Soto  made  his  will.  So  exhausted  were  the  stores 
of  the  army  at  this  time  that  only  a  very  small 
piece  of  paper  could  be  found  for  the  purpose,  and 
the  will  was  written  in  very  few  words,  and  with 


224     DISCOVERY    OF   THE   MISSISSIPPI   RIVER. 

many  omissions  and  abridgements.  When  the  will 
was  completed  the  priests  came  in,  and  the  dying 
man  confessed  his  sins  and  received  absolution. 

From  this  time  his  vital  powers  began  to  ebb 
away  very  rapidly,  and  after  some  days  of  con 
tinued  fever  and  delirium  he  died. 

THE    BURIAL   OF   THE   BODY. 

Moscoso  and  the  other  officers  were  at  first  some 
what  perplexed  to  know  what  to  do  in  respect  to 
the  disposal  to  be  made  of  the  body.  They  feared 
that  wherever  they  might  bury  it  the  Indians  would 
disinter  it.  in  order  to  insult  and  triumph  over  the 
remains.  They  accordingly  made  arrangements 
for  a  very  secret  burial  in  a  place  on  the  plain 
near  the  camp,  setting  a  guard  to  prevent  any  In 
dians  having  access  to  the  place  while  they  were 
digging  the  grave  and  interring  the  body.  In 
order  the  better  to  deceive  the  Indians,  they  pre 
tended  that  the  governor,  as  they  called  him,  was 
better,  and  was  likely  to  recover  ;  and  they  made  a 
display  of  public  rejoicings  in  the  camp  to  cele 
brate  his  convalescence.  They  also  resorted  to 
every  possible  means  for  obliterating  all  marks 
upon  the  surface  of  the  ground  where  the  grave 
had  been  made. 

They  soon  found,  however,  that  the  Indians  had 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.      227 

not  been  deceived.  It  was  ascertained  that  they 
knew  that  the  governor  was  dead,  and  it  was  sus 
pected  that  in  some  way  or  other  they  had  dis 
covered  the  place  where  he  had  been  buried. 
The  Spaniards  determined,  therefore,  to  adopt 
another  plan  for  disposing  of  the  body,  by  means 
of  which  they  hoped  to  make  it  sure  that  it  could 
never  be  disturbed.  This  was  to  sink  it  in  the 
middle  of  the  river. 

So  they  felled  a  tree  in  the  forest — a  species  of 
oak,  the  wood  of  which  is  so  heavy  that  it  will 
sink,  and  made  a  massive  coffin  of  it,  by  cutting 
off  a  portion  of  the  trunk  of  suitable  length,  and 
hollowing  out  a  cavity  in  it  large  enough  to  con 
tain  the  body.  They  were  obliged  to  resort  to 
some  such  method  as  this  for  sinking  the  body,  for 
the  soil  was  entirely  alluvial  there,  and  no  stones 
were  to  be  found.  "When  their  rude  sarcophagus 
was  finished  they  disinterred  the  body,  and  after 
placing  it  in  the  log  they  covered  it  by  planks  of 
the  same  material,  nailed  firmly  on.  They  then 
bore  the  body  thus  inclosed  down  to  the  bank  of 
the  river  by  night,  and  there,  with  appropriate 
ceremonies,  they  put  it  on  board  a  boat,  rowed  out 
into  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  launched  it  into 
the  water  among  the  turbid  whirlpools  that  were 
surging  by. 


228     DISCOVERY    OF   THE   MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 

The  river  at  the  place  where  the  coffin  sank  wag 
reported  to  be  more  than  a  hundred  feet  deep. 
Two  officers  had  gone  out  the  day  before,  under 
pretense  of  fishing,  to  sound  the  depth  of  the  water 
in  different  places,  in  order  that  the  body  might  be 
sunk  in  the  very  center  of  the  channel. 

CONDITION   OF   THE    ARMY   AFTER   TOE  DEATH   OF   DE   SOTO. 

The  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  army  were,  after 
all,  not  really  much  grieved  at  the  death  of  their 
commander.  They  were  heartily  tired  of  the  coun 
try  and  wished  to  escape  from  it.  Arid  yet  somo 
of  the  officers  were  unwilling  to  give  up  the  enter 
prise,  without  making  some  further  efforts  to  carry 
out  De  Soto's  plans.  This  difference  of  opinion 
led  to  discussions  and  debates,  and  in  some  cases  to 
insubordination.  One  conspicuous  case  of  deser 
tion  occurred,  though  it  might  have  been  supposed 
that  desertion,  especially  on  the  part  of  the  officers, 
would  not  be  one  of  the  dangers  to  which  an  army, 
under  such  circumstances  as  these,  would  be  ex 
posed. 

CASE  OF  A  DESERTER. 

The  desertion  occurred  soon  after  the  army  re 
sumed  its  march,  subsequent  to  the  death  of  De 
Soto,  and  the  case  illustrates  curiously  enough  the 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.     229 

relations  which  sometimes  subsisted  between  the 
Spaniards  and  the  Indian  chieftains.  The  name 
of  the  officer  was  Diego  de  Guzman.  He  was  a 
dissipated  man,  it  seems,  and  a  great  gambler. 
He  had  also  in  his  keeping  a  beautiful  Indian  girl, 
the  daughter  of  a  chieftain  who  lived  at  some 
distance  from  the  place  where  the  army  was  now 
encamped. 

One  day  this  man  was  missed  from  the  camp, 
and  on  making  inquiry  for  him  it  was  ascertained 
that  he  had  been  gambling  some  days  before  and 
had  lost  everything  he  possessed.  He  first  played 
away  his  money,  then  his  arms,  then  a  fine  black 
horse  which  he  rode,  and,  last  of  all,  he  staked  the 
Indian  girl.  He  lost  her  too. 

He  surrendered  everything  at  once  to  the  win 
ner  except  the  girl ;  but  as  for  her  he  asked  the 
winner  to  allow  him  to  retain  her  in  his  own 
hands  for  a  few  days,  at  the  expiration  of  which 
time  he  promised  to  deliver  her.  To  this  the  win 
ner  consented,  and  since  that  time  Guzman  had 
not  been  seen  or  heard  of. 

It  was  generally  supposed  that  he  had  abandon 
ed  the  expedition,  being  ashamed  of  his  gambling, 
and  vexed  with  the  losses  which  he  had  sustained ; 
and  being,  moreover,  very  probably  deeply  in  love 
with  his  Indian  girl.  This  supposition  was  found, 


230     DISCOVERY    OF    THE    MISSISSIPPI    RIVER. 

after  due  inquiry,  to  be  correct.  It  was  reported 
from  good  authority  that  he  had  gone  with  the  girl 
to  her  father's  village,  and  that  he  was  living  with 
her  there.  But  m  order  to  ascertain  positively 
that  he  had  really  gone  there  of  his  own  accord; 
and  was  not  in  any  way  under  restraint  in  remain- 
in  «-,  it  was  determined  to  send  him  a  letter. 

O' 

Accordingly,  the  commander  of  the  expedition 
requested  another  officer,  the  one  who  had  been 
Guzman's  most  particular  friend,  to  write  to  him, 
inquiring  how  it  was  with  him,  and  inviting  him 
earnestly  to  return  to  the  camp,  promising  him  at 
the  same  time  that  if  he  would  do  so  his  horse  and 
his  arms  should  be  returned  to  him.  This  letter 
was  sent  by  an  Indian.  The  messenger  was  gone 
three  days.  He  brought  back  only  a  verbal  an 
swer,  for  Guzman,  in  his  new  home,  had  no  con 
venient  means  of  writing.  In  order,  however,  to 
authenticate  his  answer  and  to  prove  to  his  friend 
that  the  letter  had  really  been  delivered  to  him,  he 
wrote  his  name  upon  a  blank  space  at  the  foot  of  it 
with  a  piece  of  charcoal,  and  sent  it  back. 

The  Indian  on  his  return  brought  the  letter 
thus  marked,  and  with  it  a  message  from  Guzman, 
to  the  effect  that  he  was  entirely  at  liberty,  but 
that  he  was  contented  and  happy  where  he  was, 
and  did  not  intend  to  return. 


DISCOVERY    OF   THE   MISSISSIPPI    RIVER.      231 

One  more  effort  was  subsequently  made  to  in 
duce  Guzman  to  return  to  the  camp,  but  he  re 
fused  to  do  so.  He  was  then  abandoned  to  his 
fate,  and  was  never  heard  of  more. 

END   OF   THE    EXPEDITION. 

After  meeting  with  various  incidents  and  adven 
tures,  which  cannot  here  be  related,  the  expedition 
at  length  came  unanimously  to  the  conclusion  that 
it  was  best  to  retire  from  the  country.  They 
journeyed  on  until  they  came  to  a  favorable  place 
upon  the  Mississippi,  where  they  built  vessels, 
mid  embarking  on  board  of  them,  followed  the 
river  down  to  its  mouth,  and  then  undertook  to 
coast  along  the  shore  of  the  sea,  in  the  direction 
which  they  supposed  led  to  the  nearest  Spanish 
settlements.  They  met  with  a  great  number  and 
variety  of  disasters,  as  might  have  been  expected, 
in  this  desperate  navigation.  They  were  wrecked 
upon  reefs,  they  were  attacked  by  the  natives,  they 
were  dispersed  and  driven  to  sea  by  gales  of  wind. 
At  last,  however,  some  remnants  of  the  expedi 
tion  succeeded  in  making  good  their  escape,  and 
after  various  wanderings,  found  their  way  home  to 
Spain. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE       RIVER       ST.       LAWRENCE. 

THE    THREE    CHIEF   RIVERS   OF   NORTH    AMERICA. 

*  NEXT  to  the  Mississippi — including  under  that 
designation  the  whole  fluvial  system  of  which  the 
Mississippi  proper  is  the  central  and  connecting 
trunk — the  two  most  important  rivers  of  the  North 
American  continent,  considered  both  in  respect  to 
their  present  commercial  importance  and  to  the 
influence  which  they  have  exerted  upon  the  history 
of  the  country,  by  the  facilities  afforded  by  them,  at 
a  very  early  period,  for  penetrating  into  the  interior 
of  the  continent,  are  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
Hudson.  The  circumstances  under  which  these 
rivers  were  first  discovered  and  explored  are  very 
curious  and  interesting.  The  St.  Lawrence  was 
first  entered  by  a  French  navigator — the  Hudson 
by  an  English  one. 

JAMES   C  ARTIER. 

The  name  of  the  navigator  who  discovered  and 


THE    RIVER    ST.    LAWRENCE.  233 

first  ascended  the  St.  Lawrence  was  James  Car- 
tier.*  He  made  several  voyages  in  the  course  of 
his  life  to  the  coasts  of  Newfoundland  arid  into  the 
neighboring  seas.  The  one  from  which  the  most 
important  results  were  obtained  took  place  in  the 
year  1535 — more  than  thirty  years  after  Cabot's 
general  exploration  of  the  coast. 

SAILING   OF   THE   EXPEDITION". 

The  expedition  was  fitted  out  from  the  port  of 
St.  Malo,  in  France.  As  was  usu  il  in  the  case  of 
such  maritime  enterprises  in  those  times,  a  grand 
religious  ceremony  was  observed  a  few  days  before 
the  time  of  sailing.  This  service  was  held  in  the 
cathedral  of  St.  Malo.  In  obedience  to  the  orders 
of  the  commander  the  whole  company  assembled  in 
the  choir  of  the  cathedral,  where  all.  after  confess 
ing  their  sins  and  receiving  absolution,  were  blessed 
by  the  bishop,  who  stood  before  the  altar  dressed 
in  his  pontifical  robes,  and  surrounded  by  other 
priests  who  were  present  to  assist  in  the  services. 
A  large  concourse  of  spectators,  assembled  in  the 
nave  and  aisles  and  ambulatory  of  the  cathedral, 
witnessed  the  ceremony. 

This  ceremony  took  place  on  Sunday.     On  the 

Pronounced  Car-ti-a. 


234  THE    RIVER   ST.    LAWRENCE. 

Wednesday  following,  the  expedition  sailed.  It 
consisted  of  three  ships,  which  were  named  respec 
tively  the  Great  Hermina,  the  Little  Hermina, 
and  the  Hermerillon.  These  vessels  were  called 
ships,  but  the  largest  was  only  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  tons  burden,  while  the  smallest  was  only  a 
boat  of  forty  tons.  It  is  astonishing  that  men 
could  be  found  willing  to  trust  themselves  in  em 
barkations  of  this  kind  on  voyages  so  distant,  and 
leading  into  such  stormy  and  icy  seas. 


THE    TOYAGE. 


The  voyage  was  an  extremely  tempestuous  one. 
The  ships  experienced  a  favorable  wind  for  one 
day  after  leaving  the  port,  and  then  a  succession 
of  gales  and  storms  set  in,  which  continued  for 
more  than  a  month,  during  which  time  they  were 
so  tossed  about,  and  were  buffeted  by  the  winds  and 
waves  so  severely,  that  they  all  narrowly  escaped 
destruction.  As  they  approached  the  American 
coast,  too,  the  sea,  as  is  usual  in  those  latitudes, 
was  covered  with  fogs  and  scudding  mists,  which 
made  it  impossible  to  see  the  way.  In  such  a 
state  of  weather  it  is  dangerous  for  vessels  to 
attempt  to  keep  near  each  other,  for  fear  of  col 
lision  ;  and  if  they  separate  at  all  they  soon  lose 
sight  of  each  other  in  the  fog,  and  then  the  chance 


THE    RIVER   ST.   LAWRENCE.  235 

is  very  small  of  their  coming  together  again.  The 
vessels  of  Carrier's  squadron  were  dispersed  in  this 
manner  before  they  reached  the  American  shores, 
but  such  an  accident  had  been  anticipated,  and  a 
place  of  rendezvous  had  been  appointed,  whe::e 
they  all  safely  met  at  the  end  of  the  voyage. 
This  place  of  rendezvous  was  a  small  bay  called 
the  Bay  of  Castles,  at  the  entrance  of  the  strait  of 
Bellisle.  The  flag-ship  of  the  squadron,  the  Great 
Hermina,  reached  the  place  of  rendezvous  on  the 
fifteenth  of  July.  Cartier,  who,  of  course,  sailed 
in  this  ship,  waited  there  till  the  twenty-sixth, 
when  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  both  the 
other  vessels  come  safely  in  on  the  same  day. 

SEARCH    FOR   A    PASSAGE    THROUGH    THE    LAND. 

After  remaining  a  short  time  in  port,  to  supply 
the  ships  with  water  and  to  rest  and  recruit  the 
men,  the  squadron  sailed  again,  and  now  com 
menced  the  search  for  a  passage  through  the  land 
that  might  lead  to  India.  Cartier  had  two  Indian 
interpreters  on  board,  and  he  relied  on  these  to 
enable  him  to  open  communication  with  the  na 
tives.  These  interpreters  were  the  sons  of  an 
Indian  chief.  He  had  taken  them  from  their 
native  land  on  a  previous  voyage  which  he  had 
made  to  these  shores,  with  the  consent,  he  says,  of 


236  THE    KIVER    ST.   LA  WHENCE. 

their  father,  on  condition  that  he  should  bring 
them  back  the  following  year.  These  men  bore 
the  euphonous  names  of  Taignoagny  and  Doma- 
gaia. 

The  Bay  of  Castles,  which  was  the  place  of  ren 
dezvous  for  the  squadron,  is  situated,  as  has  al 
ready  been  said,  at  the  entrance  of  the  Strait  of 
Bellisle.  The  squadron  passed  down  through  this 


DISCOVERIES    OF    OARTIER. 


strait  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  after 
exploring  the  shores  of  the  gulf  for  seme  time  they 
came  at  length  to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
River. 

The  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  at  its  entrance 


THE    RIVER    ST.    LAWRENCE.  237 

into  the  bay,  is  very  wide.  It  forms,  in  fact,  quite 
an  arm  of  the  sea,  and  Cartier  hoped  that  it  might 
lead  to  the  long  sought  for  passage  to  India.  The 
body  of  water  he  found  was  ninety  miles  wride,  and 
on  sounding  it  in  the  center  of  the  channel  it 
proved  to  be  more  than  two  hundred  fathoms  deep ; 
and  as  the  water  was  salt,  he  thought  it  might  be 
really  a  strait  leading  between  two  islands  to  an 
open  sea  beyond. 

But  the  two  Indians  whom  Cartier  had  with 
him  on  board  his  ships  assured  him  that  this  was 
not  so.  They  said  that  the  channel  of  water  before 
them  was  really  "the  beginning  of  a  great  river — 
that  the  further  it  went  the  narrower  it  came — 
that  after  a  certain  distance  it  became  fresh  water, 
and  that  this  fresh  water  went  so  far  upward  that 
they  had  never  heard  of  any  man  who  had  gone  to 
the  head  of  it,  and  that  in  the  upper  portion  of  it 
there  was  no  passage  but  witli  boats."  This  was 
discouraging,  and  Cartier  concluded  to  turn  his 
course  in  another  direction  and  postpone  making 
an  attempt  to  verify  the  statement  of  the  Indians 
in  respect  to  this  opening  till  he  had  examined 
other  portions  of  the  gulf. 

INTERCOURSE    WITH    THE    NATIVES. 

He  accordingly  continued  his  course  along  the 


238  THE    RIVER   ST.   LAWRENCE. 

coasts  of  the  gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  looking  every 
where  for  a  passage  opening  toward  the  west,  but 
not  finding  any.  He  found  many  fertile  tracts  of 
country,  some  of  which  produced  noble  forests,  and 
were  inhabited  by  powerful  tribes  of  Indians. 
These  Indians  often  came  out  to  the  ships  in  their 
canoes,  and  they  were  always  in  such  cases  very 
kindly  received.  They  were  somewhat  cautious, 
usually,  at  first,  but  on  being  accosted  by  the 
interpreters,  and  being  assured  by  them  that  the 
strangers  would  do  them  no  harm,  they  were  soon 
persuaded  to  come  on  board.  They  often,  more 
over,  received  parties  from  the  ships  in  their  vil 
lages  on  shore,  and  opened  quite  a  traffic  with 
them,  giving  them  furs,  muskmelons,  corn,  and 
other  productions  of  the  country,  in  exchange  for 
beads,  needles,  and  toys  of  various  kinds. 

THE   EXPEDITION   ASCENDS   THE   RIVER. 

At  length,  about  the  middle  of  September,  Car- 
tier  returned  to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  began  to  ascend  the  river,  advancing  very  cau 
tiously,  and  examining  the  shores  with  great  in 
terest  as  he  proceeded.  He  found  the  country 
beautifully  wooded.  The  forests  were  filled  with 
trees  of  every  variety  of  foliage,  and  wild  flowers 
grew  in  great  profusion  along  the  margin  of  the 


THE    RIVER    ST.    LAWRENCE.  239 

water.  There  were  many  Indian  villages,  too, 
scattered  along  the  banks  of  the  river,  each  stand 
ing  in  the  midst  of  extensive  fields  of  maize  and 
of  gardens,  in  which  pumpkins,  beans,  and  other 
plants,  cultivated  by  the  natives,  were  growing. 
The  scene,  as  it  presented  itself  to  the  view  of 
Carder's  company,  gazing  upon  it  from  the  decks 
of  the  ships,  as  the  little  squadron  slowly  advanced 
on  its  way,  following  the  windings  of  the  stream, 
was  invested  with  an  indescribable  charm.  The 
magnificence  and  richness  of  the  scenery  were 
greatly  heightened,  too,  by  the  glowing  autumnal 
tints  which  were  spread  over  the  forests,  fields  and 
gardens,  at  this  season  of  the  year. 

The  party  made  acquaintance  with  many  of  the 
Indian  inhabitants  as  they  ascended  the  river. 
The  natives  were  always  at  first  much  alarmed, 
but  when  they  saw  the  two  interpreters,  and  were 
accosted  by  them  in  their  own  tongue,  and  assured 
that  the  strangers  would  not  harm  them,  their  fears 
were  allayed,  and  they  came  off  in  great  numbers 
in  canoes  from  the  shore.  They  were  ready  to 
sell  every  thing  they  possessed  for  the  beads  and 
trinkets  which  Cartier  and  his  men  had  ready  to 
offer  them,  and  after  making  these  trades  they 
always  went  away  greatly  delighted  with  their 
purchases. 


240  THE   KIVElt    bT.    LAWRENCE. 


DONNACONA. 


After  three  days'  sail  up  the  river,  the  expedi 
tion  came  to  the  dominions  of  a  chief  named  Donna- 
cona,  whose  country  was  called  Canada.  Donna- 
cona  came  down  the  river  from  the  village  where 
he  usually  resided,  with  twelve  canoes  filled  with 
his  men,  and  the  most  friendly  relations  were  soon 
established  hetween  the  two  parties.  When  the 
fleet  of  boats  arrived  near  the  ships,  Donnacona's 
canoe  carne  forward  in  advance  of  the  rest,  and  the 
chieftain,  standing  up  in  it,  made  a  long  speech  in 
a  very  loud  and  declamatory  style,  and  with  much 
extravagant  gesticulation.  Of  course,  Car  tier, 
who  stood  upon  the  deck  of  his  ship,  listening 
very  respectfully,  could  not  understand  a  word  of 
what  was  said,  but  his  interpreters  informed  him 
afterward  that  it  was  a  speech  of  friendliness  and 
welcome,  and  Cartier  received  it  accordingly.  He 
invited  Donnacona  on  board  his  ship,  and  there 
hospitably  entertained  him,  and  made  him  presents 
of  hatchets  and  knives  and  other  such  articles,  the 
receiving  of  which  filled  him  with  astonishment  and 
delight. 

After  this  Cartier  went  on  board  the  chieftain's 
boat,  to  return  the  visit.  He  took  with  him  some 
bread,  which,  as  it  was  made  of  wheaten  flour, 


THE    RIVER   ST.    LAWRENCE.  241 

was  entirely  new  to  the  natives,  and  also  some 
wine.  With  these  lie  treated  Donnacona  and  his 
personal  attendants  in  the  canoe.  They  were  ex 
ceedingly  pleased  with  these  refreshments.  In  a 
word  relations  were  at  once  established  between 
the  Europeans  and  the  Indians  of  the  most  friendly 
character  imaginable. 

After  this  the  canoes  returned  up  the  river  to 
Uonnacona's  village — the  vessels  following.  Car- 
tier  remained  at  this  village  for  some  days,  en^a^ed 

o  »/    /        o   o 

in  the  most  friendly  intercourse  with  the  natives 
all  the  time,  and  meeting  with  a  variety  of  amusing 

O  •/  O 

incidents  and  adventures,  which  cannot,  however, 
here  be  detailed,  lie  gave  the  name  of  St.  Croix 
to  this  place. 

ACCOUNTS  OF  HOCHELAGA. 

While  Cartier  was  at  this  village  he  heard  that 
at  a  distance  of  some  days'  sail  further  up  the 
river  there  was  a  very  large  and  prosperous  Indian 
settlement  called  llochelaga,  and  he  received  such 
glowing  accounts  of  the  wealth  and  populousriess 
of  this  place  that  he  determined  to  proceed  to  it. 
He  proposed  that  Donriacona  should  go  with  him. 
But  Donnacona,  though  at  first  he  seemed  to  ac- 

O 

quiesce  in  this  plan,  yet  very  soon,  when  he  found 

that  Cartier  was  in   earnest  in  his  intentions,  set 
11 


242  THE    RIVER   ST.    LAWRENCE. 

his  face  strongly  against  it.  It  was  supposed  that 
it  was  a  sort  of  jealousy  of  the  chief  of  Ilochelaga 
which  prompted  him  to  do  this,  and  a  desire  to 
monopolize  for  himself  the  advantages  of  the  trade 
which  was  going  on  so  prosperously  at  that  time 
between  his  people  and  the  Europeans. 

He  endeavored  at  first  to  dissuade  Cartier  from 
going  on,  urging  various  considerations  such  as  he 
imagined  might  influence  his  mind.  When  he 
found  that  his  arguments  were  unavailing  he  said 
plainly  that  Cartier  must  not  go.  He  would  not 
allow  it. 

Cartier  replied  coolly  that  he  certainly  should 
go,  whether  Donnacona  allowed  it  or  not. 

Donnacona,  after  considering  the  subject  a  little 
longer,  adopted  another  plan.  He  came  out  in  his 
canoe  to  Cartier 's  ship,  bringing  with  him  a  num 
ber  of  attendants,  and  also  three  children,  a  girl 
and  two  boys.  lie  brought  these  children  on  board 
the  vessel,  and  there,  with  great  ceremony,  he 
drew  a  circle  upon  the  deck,  and  brought  Cartier 
and  the  children,  together  with  himself,  within  it. 
His  men  stood  outside  looking  on.  Donnacona 
then  formally  offered  the  girl  to  Cartier  as  a 
present.  She  was  about  twelve  or  thirteen  years 
of  age.  He  next  offered  the  two  boys  in  the  same 
manner.  His  men  then,  standing  outside  the 


THE    RIVER   ST.    LAWRENCE.  243 

circle,  immediately  shouted  out  three  times  with  a 
sort  of  shriek  or  yell,  terrible  to  hear.  Cartier 
asked  his  interpreters  what  all  that  meant.  Tliey 
said  it  was  in  token  of  friendship,  and  the  children 
were  presents  made  by  the  chieftain  to  Cartier. 
They  were  near  relatives  of  his.  The  girl  was  his 
niece,  and  one  of  the  boys  was  his  brother. 

Cartier  then  desired  the  interpreter  to  express 
his  thanks  to  Donnacona  for  his  presents,  and  he 
was  told  in  reply  that  they  were  given  to  him  to 
induce  him  to  abandon  his  design  of  going  up  the 
river  any  further. 

Cartier  replied  that  if  this  were  the  case  Douna- 
cona  might  take  his  presents  back,  for  he  had  been 
ordered  by  the  king  of  France,  his  master,  to  go 
as  far  into  the  country  as  he  could,  and  that  he 
should  most  assuredly  proceed. 

ATTEMPT   TO   FRIGHTEN   CARTIER   BY   AN   APPARITION. 

Donnacona  tried  one  more  plan  to  deter  Cartier 
from  going  up  the  river,  and  that  was  an  attempt 
to  frighten  him  from  it  by  an  apparition  of  devils. 
The  manner  in  which  the  affair  was  managed  was 
this: 

One  day,  when  the  two  interpreters  were  on  the 
shore,  with  some  of  the  other  natives,  in  a  wood, 
there  suddenly  appeared  to  Cartier  and  his  men, 


244  THE   RIVER   ST.    LAWRENCE. 

on  board  the  vessels,  a  boat  coming  out  from  be 
hind  a  point  of  land  with  three  men  in  it.  dressed 
to  represent  the  Indians'  idea  of  devils.  Their 
faces  were  blacked,  and  they  were  clothed  in  dog 
skins,  black  and  white.  They  wore  horns  upon 
their  heads  more  than  three  feet  long.  On  the 
whole,  they  presented  a  most  hideous  aspect. 
They  stood  up  in  the  canoe  as  it  passed  by  the 
ships,  making  frantic  gesticulations  and  uttering 
strange  outcries.  One  of  them  seemed  to  be  mak 
ing  an  oration,  talking  loud  and  earnestly,  but  he 
did  not  look  toward  the  ships,  nor  appear  to  take 
any  notice  of  them. 

Donnacona,  who  seems  to  have  been  at  the  time 
on  board  Carder's  ship,  immediately  set  off  with  a 
number  of  his  men  in  one  or  more  canoes  to  pur 
sue  the  devils.  They  soon  overtook  them.  The 
devils  immediately  fell  prostrate  in  the  bottom  of 
their  boat,  as  if  dead.  Donnacona  and  his  men 
took  them  to  the  shore  and  conveyed  them  into  the 
wood,  where  they  were  out  of  sight  from  the  ships, 
but  noises  could  still  be  heard  in  that  direction, 
and  very  soon  there  came  among  them  a  sound 
like  that  of  some  one  in  a  state  of  great  excite 
ment,  making  a  long  speech  in  loud  and  very 
earnest  tones,  like  the  screaming  of  a  maniac. 

This  continued  for  half  an  hour.     At   length 


THE    RIVER   ST.   LAWRENCE.  245 

the  sound  ceased,  and  very  soon  afterward  Taig- 
noagny  and  Domagaia  were  seen  coming  out  of 
the  wood  and  hurrying  down  toward  the  shore., 
holding  their  hands  clasped  toward  heaven,  and 
crying  out  in  a  state  of  great  excitement,  "  Jesu 
Maria!  Jesu  Maria!"  and  uttering  other  similar 
exclamations. 

Cartier  called  to  them  and  asked  what  was  the 
matter.  For  a  time  they  could  not  give  any  intel 
ligible  answer,  but  after  being  repeatedly  ques 
tioned  they  said  that  those  three  black  men  had 
been  sent  by  the  god  Cudruaigny  to  warn  all  con 
cerned  that  no  one  must  go  up  the  river,  for  there 
was  so  much  ice  and  snow  in  the  region  of  Hoch- 
elaga,  that  whoever  went  there  would  be  destroyed. 

To  this  Caitier  replied  by  directing  the  inter 
preters  to  tell  trie  black  messengers  that  their  god 
Cudruaigny  was  <*>  noddie,  and  that  he  did  not  care 
anything  for  him. 

"They  will  see,"  said  he,  "  that  we  have  a  lord 
and  master,  Jesus,  who  will  defend  us  from  all  cold, 
if  we  will  put  our  trust  in  him." 

The  interpreters  asked  Cartier  if  he  had  seen 
Jesus  himself.  He  replied  that  he  had  not,  but 
that  the  priests  had  seen  him,  and  that  he  had 
promised  them  fair  weather  for  the  expedition  in 
ascending  the  river. 


246  THE    RIVER   ST.   LAWRENCE. 


CONTINUED    ASCENT    OF   THE    RIVER. 

The  difficulties  were  at  last  all  surmounted,  and 
the  expedition  organized  for  going  up  the  river 
was  ready.  It  had  been  planned  to  leave  the  two 
largest  vessels  where  they  were,  and  only  take  tie 
smallest  one,  which  they  called  a  pinnace,  or,  as 
as  they  spelled  it  in  those  days,  a  pinasse,  and  two 
boats,  for  the  party  that  was  to  ascend.  It  was  on 
the  tenth  of  September  that  this  party  set  out  from 
St.  Croix.  They  advanced  slowly  and  cautiously, 
examining  everything  that  they  saw  by  the  way 
with  great  interest  and  curiosity.  The  country 
was  beautiful.  Indian  villages,  surrounded  with 
fields  of  maize,  were  scattered  along  the  banks  of 
the  river,  the  intervals  between  these  being  filled 
with  splendid  forests,  in  which  the  voyagers  recog 
nized  great  numbers  of  oaks,  elms,  cedars,  firs, 
willows,  and  ash  trees,  with  great  quantities  of 
grape-vines,  which  were  now  in  full  bearing,  so 
that,  as  the  historian  of  the  expedition  said  in  nar 
rating  these  events,  "if  any  of  our  fellows  went  on 
shore  they  came  home  laden  with  them/'  They 
saw,  likewise,  many  cranes,  swans,  geese,  ducks, 
pheasants,  partridges,  thrushes,  blackbirds,  red 
breasts,  nightingales,  sparrows,  and  a  variety  of 
other  birds. 


THE    RIVER    ST.    LAWRENCE.  247 

The  Indians  that  dwelt  along  the  banks  of  the 
river  often  came  out  in  boats  to  visit  the  strangers 
and  to  traffic  with  them.  The  chiefs  brought  pres 
ents,  and  among  other  things  they  offered  Cartier 
several  children.  Some  of  these  children  he  ac 
cepted  and  others  he  declined. 

In  fact,  the  most  friendly  relations  existed  be 
tween  the  exploring  party  and  the  natives  through 
out  the  whole  voyage.  Whenever  the  strangers 
landed  the  Indians  came  down  to  meet  them  with 
out  manifesting  the  least  fear,  and  Cartier  seems 
to  have  trusted  in  an  equally  implicit  manner  to 
them.  At  one  time,  when  he  wished  to  go  on  shore 
at  a  place  where  the  water  shoaled  so  gradually 
that  his  boat  could  not  approach  very  near,  an 
Indian  came  out  wading  to  the  boat,  and  Cartier, 
without  any  hesitation,  mounted  upon  his  back, 
and  was  thus  carried  to  the  land. 

LAKE   ST.    PETER. 

After  going  on  in  this  manner  for  many  days 
the  expedition  arrived  at  a  place  where  the  river 
expands  into  a  lake  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  wide. 
They  gave  to  this  sheet  of  water  the  name  of  Lake 
St.  Peter.  They  explored  the  shores  of  this  lake 
in  every  part,  and  found  some  difficulty  in  ascer 
taining  where  the  main  stream  entered  it  at  the 


248  THE    RIVER    ST.  LAWRENCE. 

upper  end,  inasmuch  as  they  found  the  mouths  of 
several  considerable  rivers  along  the  borders  of  it. 
And  when  at  length  they  discovered  the  true  place 
of  egress  they  found  the  stream  so  much  smaller 
than  it  was  below,  and  the  navigation,  moreover, 
so  much  obstructed  by  rapids,  that  they  concluded 
not  to  take  the  pinnace  any  further,  but  to  leave 
her  in  the  lake,  and  go  on  up  the  river  with  the 
boats  alone. 

So  the  commander  caused  the  boats  to  be  made 
ready,  and  loaded  them  to  the  water's  edge  with 
provisions  and  other  things  necessary  for  the  voy 
age.  Of  course,  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
party  were  to  be  left  in  the  pinnace,  as  only  a 
limited  number  could  be  taken  in  the  boats.  Sev 
eral  gentlemen,  who  were  attached  to  the  expedi 
tion,  wished  to  go  on,  among  whom  are  mentioned 
u  Claudius  of  Ponte  Briand,  cap- bearer  of  the 
Lorde  Dolphin  of  France,  Charles  of  Pometaye," 
and  others.  With  these  there  were  twenty-eight 
seamen,  fourteen  for  each  boat.  This  number  im 
plies  that  the  boats  must  have  been  of  very  con 
siderable  size. 

The  result  of  the  inquiries  made  by  Cartier  of 
the  Indians,  in  respect  to  the  distance  from  the 
lake  to  Hochelaga.  led  him  to  judge  that  it  was 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 


THE    RIVER    ST.  LAWRENCE.  249 


APPROACH   TO   nOCIIELAGA. 

The  boats  advanced  so  slowly  in  ascending  the 
river  that  the  news  of  their  coming,  and  of  the 
harmless  character  of  the  party,  and  also  of  the 
many  curious  and  wonderful  things  which  they 
were  in  the  habit  of  giving  and  selling  to  the 
Indians,  preceded  them,  so  that  at  last,  when  they 
began  to  draw  near  to  the  town,  being,  however, 
yet  at  a  distance  of  four  or  five  miles  from  it.  they 
saw  an  immense  concourse  of  Indians  coming  down 
along  the  bank  of  the  river  to  meet  and  receive 
them.  There  were  about  a  thousand  persons  in 
this  throng — men,  women  and  children.  They  all 
came  together  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  as  near  as 
they  could  get  to  the  boats,  and  began  to  toss  over 
presents  of  bread  made  of  maize,  and  fishes,  and 
other  such  things,  as  tokens  of  welcome. 

Cartier  ordered  the  boats  to  be  turned  toward 
the  shore,  and  he  himself  and  a  large  portion  of 
his  company  landed  among  the  natives.  They 
seemed  greatly  overjoyed  at  this,  and  surrounded 
the  strangers  with  exclamations  and  gestures  indi 
cating  the  greatest  delight.  Then  they  formed 
lines,  the  women  on  one  side  and  the  men  on  the 
other,  and  danced  and  sang  for  some  time.  Car- 
tier,  in  return  for  this  cordial  reception,  made 
11* 


250 


THE    RIVER   ST.   LAWRENCE. 


presents  to  some  of  the  principal  personages  among 
them,  and  he  made  the  children,  both  boys  and 
girls,  stand  in  a  row,  and  then  passing  along  the 
line  he  distributed  a  quantity  of  tin  beads  and 
other  such  trifles  among  them,  which  seemed  to 
gratify  them  exceedingly. 


When  at  length  Cartier  and  his  company  thought 
it  was   time   for   him  to  return   to  the  boats  the 


THE    RIVER   SI.   LAWRENCE.  251 

women  came  and  stood  in  the  way  and  took  hold 
of  them  playfully,  and  for  a  time  would  not  let 
them  go.  And  when,  at  last,  they  obtained  their 
release  and  returned  on  board  the  Indians  did  not 
go  away,  but  remained  opposite  the  boats  on  the 
land ;  and  wrhen  the  darkness  came  on  they  built 
great  bonfires  along  the  shore  and  continued  their 
rejoicings  around  them  late  into  the  night. 


VISIT   TO    THE    TOWX. 


Very  early  the  next  morning  Carticr  and  a 
select  portion  of  his  party,  leaving  the  rest  to 
guard  the  boats,  landed  and  set  off  to  view  the 
town.  After  going  on  for  three  or  four  miles  they 
met  a  deputation  of  the  principal  inhabitants,  that 
had  been  sent  to  receive  them.  They  found  the 
country  in  the  environs  of  the  town  occupied  with 
fields  of  maize  which,  with  the  groves  of  trees 
around  them,  presented  a  charming  picture  to  the 
eye.  On  entering  the  village  they  were  much 
struck  with  the  size  of  the  houses  and  the  artifi 
cial  and  skillful  manner  in  which  they  were  con 
structed.  They  were  built  of  poles  and  covered 
with  bark,  probably  birch  bark,  but  they  were 
very  large,  each  one  being  intended  to  accommo 
date  many  families.  They  were  generally  moro 
than  a  hundred  feet  long,  and  thirty  or  forty  wide, 


252  THE    RIVER   ST.    LAWRENCE. 

There  -was  one  fire-place  in  the  centre  of  each, 
with  subdivisions  of  the  dwelling  all  around  the 
sides  for  the  accommodation  of  the  different  fami 
lies. 

The  town  was  strongly  fortified,  too,  with  a 
triple  wall  made  of  logs  of  wood,  placed  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  furnish  a  rampart  above,  on  which  the 
warriors  could  stand  to  defend  the  place  in  case  of 
an  attack,  and  a  great  quantity  of  stones  were 
collected  on  this  rampart  as  ammunition.  The 
stones  were  intended  to  be  hurled  down  upon  the 
enemy  below. 

There  was  a  very  high  hill  near  the  town,  which 
Cartier  named  "  Mont  Roial,"  which  name  remains, 
under  the  form  of  Montreal,  to  this  day. 

FIRST   OBSERVATION   OF   TOBACCO. 

While  they  were  at  this  place  the  party  wit 
nessed,  for  the  first  time,  the  Indian  practice  of 
smoking  tobacco.  They  described  it  in  the  follow 
ing  language : 

There  groweth  also  a  certaine  kind  of  herbe,  whereof 
in  sommer  they  make  greac  prouision  for  ail  the  yeere, 
making  great  account  of  it,  and  onely  men  use  of  it,  and 
firft  they  cause  it  to  be  dried  in  the  sunne,  then  weare 
it  about  their  neckes,  wrapped  in  a  little  beaft's  skinne 
made  like  a  little  bagge,  with  a  hollow  piece  of  flone  or 


THE    RIVER   ST.    LAWRENCE.  253 

wood  like  a  pipe ;  then  when  they  please  they  make 
pouder  of  it,  and  then  put  it  in  one  of  the  ends  of  the 
said  cornet  or  pipe,  and  laying  a  cole  of  fire  upon  it,  at 
the  other  end  sucke  so  long  that  they  fill  their  bodies  full 
of  smoke  till  that  it  commeth  out  of  their  mouth  and  nos 
trils,  even  as  out  of  the  fonnel  cf  a  chimney.  They  say 
that  this  doth  keep  them  warm  and  in  health ;  they 
never  go  without  some  of  it  about  them.  We  ourselves 
haue  tryed  the  same  smoke,  and  hauing  put  it  in  our 
mouthes  it  seemed  almofl  as  hot  as  pepper. 

RETURN   OF   THE   EXPEDITION  DOWN   THE   RIVER. 

The  expedition  remained  several  days  at  this 
place,  and  met  with  a  variety  of  amusing  adven 
tures  in  their  intercourse  with  the  natives.  At 
length  the  party  re-embarked  on  board  their  boats 
and  returned  down  the  river  to  Lake  St.  Peter, 
where  they  had  left  the  pinnace.  They  there  re 
turned  on  board  the  pinnace,  and  then  continued 
on  their  way,  meeting  with  no  accident  until  they 
reached  the  river  St.  Croix,  where  the  two  vessels 
had  been  left. 

It  was  so  late  in  the  season,  however,  when  they 
arrived  here  that  ice  began  to  form  in  the  river, 
and  Cartier  made  arrangements  for  remaining 
where  be  was  until  the  spring.  Accordingly  lie 
put  the  ships  into  winter  quarters,  built  a  fort  on 
the  land,  and  made  all  snug  for  winter. 


254  THE   RIVER   ST.    LAWRENCE. 


THE   PESTILENCE. 


Things  went  on  very  well  until  the  middle  of 
December,  when  Cartier  began  to  hear  rumors  of 
a  pestilence  prevailing  among  the  Indians  on  the 
land.  It  was  said  that  great  numbers  had  died, 
and  that  the  disease  was  spreading.  Cartier  im 
mediately  made  arrangements  to  prevent  all  com 
munication  between  his  men  and  the  natives,  but 
notwithstanding  his  utmost  efforts  the  disease  soon 
appeared  within  the  fort,  and  there  it  spread  so 
rapidly  and  was  so  terrible  in  its  ravages,  that  be 
fore  long  the  company  was  reduced  to  a  condition 
of  extreme  distress. 

The  disease,  as  the  narrator  of  the  history  of 
this  voyage  described  it,  appears  to  have  been  what 
is  called  the  sea-scurvy — a  dreadful  pestilence 
which  in  those  days  often  infected  ships'  crews  on 
long  voyages.  It  was  caused  generally  by  the 
subjects  of  it  having  been  confined  for  a  long  time 
to  a  diet  consisting  of  salted  provisions,  and  also 
to  their  being  reduced  in  strength  by  hardships, 
fatigue,  and  exposure.  The  disease,  when  it  once 
gets  a  footing  in  a  ship's  company,  becomes  a  pes 
tilence  of  the  most  dreadful  character  imaginable. 
The  effects  of  it  are  too  shocking  and  horrible  to 
be  described — the  body  becoming  under  it  some- 


THE    RIVER    ST.    LAWRENCE.  255 

times  a  mass  of  living  putrefaction.  The  disease 
is  now  no  longer  feared,  for  remedies  have  been 
discovered  so  efficacious-  that  it  is  perfectly  easy  at 
the  present  day  to  keep  it  under  complete  control, 
but  in  the  times  of  which  we  are  writing  it  was  a 
terrible  pest.  Whole  crews  were  affected  by  it. 
Commodore  Anson  on  one  of  his  voyages  lost  four- 
fifths  of  his  men  ;  and  on  one  occasion  a  Spanish 
ship,  called  the  Orifiamme,  was  found  drifting  at 
sea,  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves,  and  those 
who  discovered  her,  on  going  on  board,  found  dead 
bodies  lying  about  upon  the  decks  and  in  the 
cabins,  but  not  a  single  man  alive.  The  whole 
crew,  to  the  very  last  man,  had  been  swept  away 
by  this  terrible  disease. 

EXTREME   DISTRESS   AND    SUFFERING. 

Carder's  company  suffered  dreadfully  under  the 
visitation  of  the  malady.  Out  of  his  whole  com 
pany  of  more  than  a  hundred,  not  ten  remained 
well.  Great  numbers  died.  Those  that  were  well 
were  not  able  to  take  proper  care  of  the  sick, 
and  still  less  had  they  strength  to  bury  the  bodies 
of  the  sufferers  when  they  were  dead.  So  they 
conveyed  the  bodies  away  to  some  distance  from 
the  fort  and  covered  them  up  in  the  snow.  It  was 
all  that  they  could  do. 


256  THE    RIVER   ST.    LAWRENCE. 

The  winter,  too,  was  extremely  cold,  and  this 
greatly  increased  the  sufferings  of  the  men.  The 
ships  were  frozen  into  the  ice  in  the  middle  of  No 
vember,  and  they  continued  thus  imprisoned  until 
the  middle  of  March.  The  ice,  they  said,  was  six 
feet  thick.  This,  if  their  estimate  was  not  exag 
gerated,  proves  that  the  winter  must  have  been  ex 
ceedingly  severe. 

STRATAGEMS   AGAINST  THE  INDIANS. 

Indeed,  so  extreme  was  the  distress  of  the  com 
pany,  and  so  desperate  was  the  condition  to  which 
they  were  reduced,  that  at  one  time  Cartier  gave 
up  all  expectation  of  ever  seeing  France  again. 
His  anxiety  was  greatly  increased,  too,  by  fears 
that  the  Indians  might  turn  against  him.  Certain 
indications  that  he  observed  appeared  to  denote 
this.  He  resorted  to  a  great  many  artful  contriv 
ances  to  deceive  the  Indians  in  respect  to  the  con 
dition  of  the  company  while  the  pestilence  was  at 
its  height.  One  of  these  was  a  curious  ruse  that 
he  adopted  to  prevent  them  from  inferring  that  a 
great  many  of  his  men  were  disabled  by  sickness, 
from  the  fact  that  they  saw  so  few  of  them,  from 
day  to  day,  outside  the  fort.  He  would  send  out 
a,  few  well  men  from  the  fort  into  the  neighbor 
hood  of  the  Indians,  and  then  he  would  go  after 


THE    RIVER    ST.    LAWRENCE.  257 

them  and  drive  them  back  with  sticks  and  stones 
and  loud  scolding,  in  order  to  give  the  Indians  to 
understand  that  he  had  work  for  them  to  do  within, 
and  that  they  were  playing  truant.  He  made 
signs  to  the  Indians  to  this  effect — denoting  that 
the  men  ought  to  be  at  work  with  the  rest,  in  re 
pairing  and  caulking  the  vessels.  In  order  the 
better  to  carry  out  this  idea  he  required  all  the 
men  on  board  the  vessels,  and  also  those  in  the  fort 
who  were  not  so  sick  as  to  be  utterly  helpless,  to 
keep  up  a  great  knocking  and  pounding  with  sticks 
and  stones,  whenever  there  were  any  Indians  near 
enough  to  hear. 

RETURN    OP   THE   EXPEDITION 

At  length,  however,  the  spring  came  on,  and  in 
the  mean  time  a  plant  had  been  brought  in  by  the 
Indians  which  produced  an  almost  magic  effect  in 
staying  the  ravages  of  the  pestilence.  The  men 
who  remained  alive  gradually  recovered,  and  at 
length,  after  encountering  a  great  variety  of  diffi 
culties,  and  meeting  with  many  strange  and  curious 
adventures,  the  remnant  of  the  expedition  was  re 
leased  from  its  confinement,  and  set  sail  for  France, 
though,  on  account  of  the  diminution  of  their  num 
bers,  they  were  obliged  to  leave  one  of  their  ships 
behind  them. 


258  THE    RIVER    ST.    LAWRENCE. 


THE   KIDNAPPING   OF   DOXXACOXA. 

When  the  time  arrived  for  the  expedition  to  set 
sail,  Cartier  was  guilty  of  an  act  of  treachery 
against  Donnacona  of  the  most  inexcusable  charac 
ter.  He  kidnapped  him  and  carried  him  with  him 
to  France. 

This  deed  was  the  more  censurable  from  the  fact 
that  Donnacona  had  always  acted  in  a  friendly 
manner  toward  the  expedition,  and  had  in  many 
ways  rendered  most  important  services  to  the 
whole  party.  It  is  true  that,  toward  the  end  of 
the  winter,  Cartier  thought  he  observed  certain 
suspicious  appearances  which  led  him  to  imagine 
that  his  pretended  friend  might  be  meditating  some 
hostile  designs.  But  there  is,  after  all,  no  evi 
dence  of  anything  but  distrust  and  fear  on  the  part 
of  Donnacona,  and  a  disposition  to  take  certain 
precautions  with  a  view  of  guarding  against  any  ill 
designs  which  the  strangers  might  attempt  to  carry 
into  eflect  before  going  away — precautions  which, 
as  the  event  proved,  the  occasion  urgently  required. 

It  seems  that  Cartier  had  long  been  intending 
to  take  with  him,  on  his  return  to  France,  some 
native  prince  or  chieftain,  in  order  that  he  might 
exhibit  him  at  court,  and  through  the  country  in 
Spain,  by  way  of  visible  token  and  proof  of  the 


THE    RIVER  ST.    LAWRENCE.  2513 

reality  of  his  discoveries ;  and  he  had  fixed  his 
mind  upon  Donnacona  as  the  most  suitable  person 
to  select  for  this  purpose.  Accordingly,  when  the 
time  drew  near  for  the  ships  to  sail,  various  mes 
sages  were  sent  back  and  forth  between  the  fort 
and  Donnacona' s  town,  and  many  artful  plans 
contrived,  to  bring  the  chief  on  board  the  ships — 
arrangements  having  been  made  there  to  detain 
him  if  he  should  come.  But  Donnacona  was  sus 
picious  that  some  wrong  was  intended,  and  he 
would  not  venture  on  board. 

DONN AGON  A.  !S    C  UNKING. 

At  one  time  when  certain  messengers  whom 
Cartier  had  sent  to  Donnacona's  town  returned, 
they  brought  a  proposal  from  Donnacona  which 
denoted  an  act  of  cunning  and  treachery  on  his 
p.irt.  It  seems  there  was  a  certain  person  in  his 
country  named  Agonna,  who  was  in  some  sense 
his  rival  and  enemy,  so  that  he  wished  him  re 
moved  out  of  the  way;  arid  yet  the  power  and 
influence  of  Agonna  in  the  tribe  was  such  that  he 
dared  not  kill  him.  He  accordingly  conceived  the 
plan  of  inducing  Cartier  to  take  him  on  board  his 
ship  and  carry  him  to  France,  and  this  was  the 
proposal  which  the  messengers  of  Donnacona 


260  THE    RIVER    ST.   LAWRENCE. 

brought  back  to  the  fort  after  their  visit  to  the 
village. 

Cartier  sent  word  in  reply  that  he  should  have 
been  very  happy  to  have  obliged  Donnacona  by 
taking  the  man  away,  but  that  it  was  entirely  out 
of  his  power  to  do  so,  for  the  king  of  France,  his 
master,  had  strictly  forbidden  him  to  bring  home 
with  him  any  natives  of  the  country,  except  two  or 
three  boys  to  learn  the  language. 

This  was,  of  course,  false.  It  was  said  only  for 
effect,  being  intended  to  dispel  from  Donnacona7  s 
mind  any  suspicions  which  he  might  entertain  of 
being  kidnapped  himself. 

The  intended  effect  was  produced.  Donnacona, 
although  he  was  still  too  wary  to  trust  himself  on 
board  the  ships,  was  so  far  thrown  off  his  guard 
that  he  was  willing  to  come  sometimes,  in  company 
with  many  of  his  people,  across  the  river  to  the 
neighborhood  of  the  fort,  and  when  this  point  was 
gained  Cartier  laid  a  plan  for  entrapping  him. 


THE   SEIZURE    EFFECTED. 


He  made  preparations  for  a  grand  religious  cele 
bration,  to  be  performed  on  the  shore  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  fort,  lie  set  up  a  large  cross,  with  the 
arms  of  the  king  of  France  suspended  from  it,  and 
made  arrangements  for  a  solemn  procession  and 


THE    RIVER   ST.    LAWRENCE.  261 

other  imposing  ceremonies,  which  he  invited  all 
the  Indians  to  attend.  They  came  in  great  num- 
herSj  men,  women  and  children,  across  the  river, 
some  by  canoes  and  some  by  swimming.  In  duo 
time  Donnacona  himself  arrived,  attended  by  the 
two  interpreters,  Taignoagny  and  Domagaia,  who 
had  also  been  suspicious  of  a  design  on  the  part 
of  Cartier  to  take  them  to  Europe  again,  and 
were  very  unwilling  to  go.  Carder's  statement 
that  he  had  received  express  orders  from  the  king 
of  France  not  to  bring  any  more  natives  to  Europe 
had,  however,  put  them,  too,  off  their  guard,  and 
all  three  came  to  the  celebration  without  any  fear. 

In  the  midst  of  the  ceremonies,  and  while  every 
body  was  intent  on  observing  them,  or  otherwise 
occupied  with  the  various  excitements  of  such  an 
occasion,  Cartier  gave  a  preconcerted  signal,  and  a 
company  of  men,  who  were  all  ready  beforehand, 
marched  out  suddenly  from  the  fort,  while  at  the 
same  moment  all  those  who  were  standing  about 
the  grounds  without  rushed  forward  to  aid  them, 
and  Donnacona,  the  two  interpreters,  and  two 
other  chieftains  that  Cartier  had  pointed  out,  were 
seized  and  hurried  within  the  inclosure. 

The  other  Indians  were  struck  with  consterna 
tion  at  this  unexpected  onset.  They  fled  precipi 
tately  in  all  directions.  Some  ran  into  the  woods, 


262  THE    RIVER    ST.    LAWRENCE. 

others  rushed  to  the  boats,  while  great  numbers 
plunged  into  the  river  and  swam  to  the  other  side. 
Donnacona  and  the  others  who  had  been  taken 
with  him  were  placed  on  board  the  ships  and  shut 
up  there  securely. 

'DISTRESS   OF   THE   PEOPLE. 

The  people  were  thrown  into  a  condition  of  the 
deepest  distress  by  the  captivity  of  their  prince. 
They  came  down  that  night  in  great  numbers  to 
the  river's  brink,  on  the  further  side,  and  there 
called  out  for  a  long  time  in  piteous  tones  to  Don 
nacona,  beating  their  breasts  and  tearing  their  hair 
all  the  while,  and  making  other  barbarous  demon 
strations  of  suffering.  This  continued  until  the 
next  day  at  noon,  during  all  which  time  Cartier 
would  not  allow  Donnacona  to  be  brought  up  to 
speak  to  them.  The  people  thought  that  the  pris 
oner  had  been  put  to  death,  and  they  continually 
made  signs  to  inquire  whether  it  was  so. 

At  last  Cartier  concluded  to  allow  Donnacona  to 
appear  and  speak  to  his  subjects,  in  hopes  that  he 
might  pacify  them.  He  first,  however,  gave  him 
fopecial  instructions  to  "be  merrie,';  and  to  put  a 
good  face  upon  the  matter  in  representing  the  case 
to  the  people.  He  charged  him,  moreover,  to  tell 
them  that  he  w~s  only  going  to  make  a  visit  to  the 


THE    RIVER   ST.    LAWRENCE.  263 

king  of  France,  and  that  he  should  be  gone  only 
for  a  short  time ;  that  in  a  year  or  thereabouts  he 
was  sure  to  return,  and  that  he  should  bring  home 
with  him,  for  himself  and  for  his  people,  a  great 
abundance  of  the  richest  presents,  which  the  king 
of  France  would  give  him. 

Donnacona  did  as  he  was  bid.  It  was  indeed 
greatly  for  his  interest  now  to  endeavor  in  every 
way  to  please  bis  captors,  as  all  his  hopes,  not 
only  of  being  kindly  treated  while  he  was  in  their 
power,  but  of  ever  being  released,  depended  upon 
their  good  will. 

Donnacona  held  much  other  conversation  with 
the  men,  but  what  he  said  to  them  was  not  inter 
preted,  and  Cartier  did  not  understand  it. 

PROVISION'S  FOII  DOXXACOXA'S  VOYAGE. 

A  few  days  after  this  a  boat  load  of  provisions, 
for  Donriacona's  use  during  the  voyage,  was 
brought  to  the  ships.  This  boat  was  navigated 
by  four  women.  It  was  not  considered  safe  for 
men  to  come,  for  fear  of  their  being  detained  as 
prisoners  too.  The  women  seemed  greatly  troubled 
at  the  captivity  of  their  chief,  and  Donnacona 
begged  Cartier  to  say  to  them  himself  that  he 
would  positively  bring  him  back  the  next  year. 
This  assurance  seemed  to  comfort  them  somewhat, 


264  THE    RIVER   ST.    LAWRENCE. 

and  they  took  from  their  persons  their  most  val 
uable  ornaments  and  presented  them  to  Cartier  as 
inducements  to  lead  him  to  keep  his  promise. 
They  told  him,  moreover,  that  in  case  he  did  truly 
bring  Donnacona  back,  their  people  would  give 
him  far  more  valuable  presents  than  those. 

When  the  time  for  the  sailing  of  the  ship 
arrived,  the  people  of  the  tribe  assembled  in  great 
numbers  on  the  bank  of  the  river  to  witness  the 
departure,  and  to  bid  their  prince  farewell.  They 
made  Cartier  renew  again  and  again  his  promise  to 
bring  him  back  to  them  the  following  year. 

Unhappily  this  promise  could  not  be  fulfilled. 
Donnacona  died  in  France,  and  although  Cartier 
himself  came  back  the  following  year,  he  could 
only  bring  to  the  poor  Indians  the  tidings  that 
their  chief  was  no  more. 

RESULTS   OF    C  ARTIER' S   DISCOVERIES. 

It  was  indirectly  in  consequence  of  the  discov 
eries  and  explorations  which  Cartier  made  in  these 
expeditions,  and  of  his  taking  possession  of  the 
territories  which  he  visited  in  the  name  of  the  king 
of  France,  that  the  whole  country  bordering  on 
the  St.  Lawrence  was  settled  afterward  by  French 
colonies,  and  is  inhabited  by  a  French  population 
to  the  present  day. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE      HUDSON      RIVER. 
HENRY   HUDSON. 

THE  Hudson  River — the  second,  perhaps,  of 
American  rivers  in  respect  to  political  and  com 
mercial  importance — was  discovered,  or  at  least 
was  first  entered  and  explored,  by  Henry  Hudson, 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the  many  navigators 
who  in  early  times  made  voyages  to  America,  in 
hopes  of  finding  a  way  in  that  direction  to  India. 
It  was  from  him,  as  is  well  known,  that  the  river 
received  its  name. 

He  was  not  looking  for  a  river  when  he  entered 
this  stream,  but  for  an  open  passage  leading  to  the 
South  Seas.  When  he  found,  in  passing  into  the 
channel  which  opened  before  him  to  the  northward 
from  the  bay,  that  it  was  only  the  mouth  of  a 
river  that  he  had  discovered,  he  was  disappointed 
and  chagrined.  lie  regarded  his  coming  into  it  as 
rather  a  misfortune  and  a  mistake.  After  explor 
ing  it  for  a  certain  distance  from  its  mouth,  he  re 
turned  to  what  he  considered  the  great  and  real 

12 


266  THE    HUDSON    RIVER. 

purpose  of  his  expedition,  namely,  the  discovery  oi 
some  open  passage  into  the  South  Seas.  It  is 
curious  that  posterity  has  exactly  reversed  the 
view  which  he  took  of  these  two  elements  of  his 
work.  His  ideas  and  his  efforts  in  respect  to  dis 
covering  a  passage  through  the  land  to  India  are 
what  are  now  looked  upon  as  the  illusions  and  mis 
takes  of  his  career,  while  that  which  he  considered 
at  the  time  as  in  some  sense  an  almost  useless 
diversion  from  his  real  work,  has  been  the  means 
of  gaining  for  him  a  very  high  '  and  enduring 
fame. 

FIRST   AND    SECOND   VOYAGES   OF   HUDSON. 

Hudson  made  four  voyages  to  the  American 
shores,  the  two  first  of  which  were  accomplished  in 
the  years  1607  and  1608,  and  were  directed  far  to 
the  northward.  He  kept  a  minute  journal  of  these 
two  voyages,  recording  carefully  in  it  all  that  hap 
pened  each  day.  The  details  of  his  narrative  con 
sist  chiefly  of  accounts  of  fields  and  mountains  of 
ice  seen  upon  the  sea,  of  the  dangers  which  the 
ships  incurred  in  sailing  among  them,  of  the  sterile 
and  iron-bound  character  of  the  shore  whenever 
land  was  in  view,  of  the  immense  numbers  of  seals 
and  other  such  animals  that  were  seen  upon  the 
floes,  of  whales  and  porpoises  in  the  water,  migrat- 


THE    HUDSON    RIVER.  267 

ing  birds  in  the  air,  of  fogs,  of  bitter  winds,  and 
rains  so  cold  as  almost  to  disable  the  ships,  by 
loading  the  sails  and  rigging  with  ice.  In  a  word, 
he  met  with  and  described  in  full  nearly  all  the 
peculiar  Arctic  experiences  with  which  the  polar 
navigators  of  the  last  ten  years  have  made  the  read 
ing  world  abundantly  familiar. 

In  some  cases  during  these  voyages  Hudson  sent 
parties  of  men  on  shore  to  examine  the  country, 
and  to  see  if  they  could  find  anything  of  value  in 
it.  The  messengers,  however,  usually  returned, 
bringing  with  them  only  such  things  as  the  horns 
and  teeth  of  animals,  tufts  of  moss,  some  small 
specimens  of  green  herbage,  and  now  and  then  a 
stone,  of  some  odd  or  peculiar  appearance,  which 
they  brought  on  board  under  the  idea  of  its  pos 
sibly  containing  gold. 

They  sometimes  succeeded  in  killing  a  number 
of  birds,  and  also  in  taking  eggs  in  considerable 
quantities  from  the  nests  which  they  found  in  cer 
tain  localities.  Some  of  these  eggs  were  eatable 
and  some  were  not.  On  one  occasion,  too,  the 
sailors  killed  a  walrus.  There  was  a  small  rocky 
island  which  a  company  of  these  animals  had  taken 
possession  of,  having  climbed  up  upon  it  in  such 
numbers  that  the  rock  was  almost  completely 
covered  with  them.  They,  however,  began  to 


268  THE    HUDSON    RIVER. 

paddle  off  into  the  water  the  moment  that  they  saw 
the  sailors  coming,  and  they  all  succeeded  in  mak 
ing  their  escape  except  one.  This  one  the  sailors 
had  the  good  fortune  to  kill,  and  though  they  left 
the  body  where  it  lay,  they  cut  off  the  head  and 
carried  it  on  board  the  ship  as  a  curiosity. 

THE   THIRD   VOYAGE. 

The  name  of  the  vessel  in  which  Hudson  made 
his  third  voyage  was  the  Half  Moon.  It  was  quite 
a  small  vessel,  and  it  was  manned  by  a  crew  of 
about  twenty  men.  After  meeting  with  various 
adventures,  which  it  is  not  important  to  narrate, 
the  expedition  began  to  draw  near  to  the  American 
shores  in  the  vicinity  of  Newfoundland.  The  cod- 
fishery  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland  was  in  full 
operation  long  before  this  time,  and  in  crossing  the 
banks  they  passed  a  great  number  of  French  fish 
ing  vessels,  all  busily  engaged  in  fishing.  In  fact, 
one  day  it  fell  calm,  and  the  crew  of  the  Half 
Moon  let  down  their  lines  to  try  their  own  luck 
for  fish,  and  from  eight  o'clock  to  one  they  caught 
"one  hundred  and  eighteene  great  coddes." 

LAXDIXG  IN   PEXOBSCOT   BAY 

The  ship  lost  a  foremast  in  a  gale  of  wind  about 
this  time,  and  Captain  Hudson  determined  to  go 


THE    HUDSON    RIVER.  269 

to  the  land  and  procure  another.  So  he  went  on 
in  the  direction  of  the  shore,  sounding  carefully  as 
he  advanced ;  and  finding  one  night,  as  the  dark 
ness  came  on,  that  the  water  was  shoaling  rapidly, 
he  came  to  anchor,  in  order  to  wait  for  day.  The 
light  of  the  next  morning  brought  several  fine 
islands  in  sight.  These  islands  were  in  Penobscot 
bay.  But  before  the  crew  could  make  sail  to  pro 
ceed  toward  the  shore  a  fog  came  up,  and  the  ship 
was  forced  to  remain  where  she  was.  Two  boat 
loads  of  savages,  however,  came  off  from  the  shore, 
apparently  much  pleased  to  see  the  strangers. 
Captain  Hudson  received  the  visitors  kindly,  and 
gave  them  something  to  eat  and  drink.  He  also 
gave  them  some  baubles  as  presents.  He  ques 
tioned  them  about  the  country,  and  they  told  him 
fine  stories  of  gold,  silver  and  copper  mines  near 
by.  They  said  that  the  French  fishermen  often 
landed  there.  It  is  probable  that  it  was  from 
them  that  the  natives  learned  what  sort  of  stories 
the  Europeans  liked  to  hear  about  the  country,  and 
that  this  was  the  explanation  of  the  stories  they 
told  about  the  mines. 

When  the  fog  cleared  up  the  vessel  sailed  in 
toward  the  land,  and  presently  found  a  harbor. 
After  placing  the  ship  in  a  secure  position,  Captain 
Hudson  sent  a  portion  of  the  crew  on  shore  to  pro- 


270  THE    HUDSON    RIVER. 

cure  a  foremast  from  the  forest.  The  men  cut  the 
tree,  fashioned  the  stem  of  it  into  a  foremast,  and 
fitted  it  into  its  place.  Hudson  then  set  sail  again 
and  went  on,  following  the  coast  toward  the  south 
ward.  After  proceeding  as  far  in  that  direction  as 
Chesapeake  bay  he  returned,  and  at  length,  in  the 
early  part  of  September,  he  entered  what  is  now 
New  York  bay. 

THE   SHIP   BLOWN   ASHORE. 

The  smallness  of  the  size  of  the  vessels  in  which 
these  early  voyages  were  made  is  illustrated  very 
strikingly  by  the  fact  that  while  the  Half  Moon 
was  lying  at  anchor  in  the  bay  a  strong  wind  came 
up  in  the  night,  which  caused  the  ship  to  drag  her 
anchor  and  drift  on  shore.  This  did  no  harm, 
however,  for  the  vessel  took  the  ground  at  a  place 
where  the  bottom  was  of  soft  mud.  So  the  sea 
men  remained  quietly  where  they  were  until  the 
morning.  Then,  after  sending  out  an  anchor  in  a 
boat,  they  manned  the  capstan,  and  by  the  help 
of  the  rising  tide  the  crew  hauled  the  ship  off  into 
deep  water  again  without  any  difficulty. 

THE   INDIANS. 

Several  canoes  came  off  from  the  shore  to  visit 
the  ship,  bringing  with  them  green  leaves  of  to- 


THE    HUDSON    RIVER.  271 

bacco  and  other  productions  of  the  country.  They 
were  clothed  generally  in  deer-skins,  and  some  of 
them  wore  mantles  very  curiously  made  of  feathers. 
The  men  had  copper  tobacco-pipes,  and  the  women 
various  ornaments  made  of  copper. 

Captain  Hudson  afterward  sent  one  or  two  parties 
of  men  on  shore,  and  they  returned  with  very 
favorable  accounts  of  the  beauty  of  the  country. 
"The  lands, 5?  they  said,  "were  as  pleasant  with 
grasse  and  flowers  and  goodly  trees  as  ever  they 
had  seene,  and  very  sweet  smells  came  from 
them." 

JOHN    COLEMAN. 

One  of  these  boat  expeditions  sent  off  from  the 
ship  to  reconnoitre  terminated  very  disastrously. 
The  party  set  off  early  in  the  morning  with  in 
structions  to  examine  the  channels  of  water  in  a 
certain  direction,  and  take  soundings.  After  pro 
ceeding  ten  or  twelve  miles  up  either  the  North  or 
the  East  river,  and  accomplishing  the  objects  for 
which  they  had  been  sent,  they  were  returning  at 
night,  thinking  of  no  danger,  when  they  were  sud 
denly  set  upon  by  two  canoes  filled  with  hostile 
Indians.  It  was  dark,  and  it  had  begun  to  rain, 
and  their  match  had  been  put  out,  which  disabled 
them  from  firing.  They,  however,  fought  off  the 


Z<Z  THE    HUDSON    RIVER. 

Indians  as  well  as  they  could,  though  thej  had  one 
man  killed  in  the  conflict.  The  name  of  this  man 
was  John  Coleman.  He  was  killed  by  an  arrow, 
which  entered  his  throat. 

There  were  only  five  men  in  the  boat,  including 
Coleman.  The  number  of  Indians  in  the  canoes 
was  nearly  thirty.  The  white  men,  however,  suc 
ceeded  in  driving  the  Indians  away,  notwithstand 
ing  the  disparity  of  numbers.  It  was  now,  how 
ever,  so  dark  and  rainy  that  nothing  could  be  seen, 
and  the  boatmen  had  no  means  of  knowing  which 
way  to  go  to  find  the  ship.  They  accordingly 
spent  the  night  in  beating  about  the  bay,  keeping 
the  dead  body  of  their  comrade  in  the  boat.  The 
morning  brought  the  ship  into  view,  and  they  soon 
reached  her  and  were  received  again  on  board. 
The  body  of  Coleman  was  buried  afterward  at  a 
point  of  land  on  Sandy  Hook,  which  consequently 
received  the  name  of  Coleman's  point. 

Captain  Hudson  immediately  after  this  brought 
up  the  boat  which  was  used  on  these  excursions, 
and  hoisted  it  on  board  the  ship,  and  then  set  the 
carpenters  at  work  to  build  up  the  sides  of  it 
higher,  so  that  they  might  on  future  occasions 
afford  some  shelter  to  the  men.  While  this  work 
was  going  on  quite  a  large  company  of  Indians 
came  on  board,  and  Captain  Hudson  watched  them- 


THE    HUDSON    RIVER.  273 

to  sec  if  they  showed  any  signs,  while  looking  at 
the  alterations  which  the  carpenters  were  making 
in  the  boat,  of  being  aware  of  the  attack  which  had 
been  made  upon  it,  and  of  the  death  of  Coleman. 
But  they  appeared  so  innocent  and  unconcerned 
that  he  concluded  that  they  did  not  know  anything 
about  the  affair. 

He  accordingly  did  not  molest  them,  but  after 
trading  with  them  as  usual  he  allowed  them  to  go 
away  in  peace.  He,  however,  soon  afterward  de 
tained  two  of  the  natives  who  came  on  board,  and 
while  they  remained  prisoners  he  dressed  them  in 
red  coats,  like  the  English  soldiers.  These  prison 
ers  continued  on  board  the  ship  a  few  days,  but 
then,  watching  their  opportunity,  they  leaped  over 
board  and  swam  ashore. 

ASCENT   OF   THE    RIVER. 

On  the  12th  of  September  Captain  Hudson 
commenced  his  ascent  of  the  river,  and  he  went  on 
until  the  22d,  advancing  a  few  miles  each  day  and 
making  careful  observations  as  he  proceeded.  It 
was  necessary,  of  course,  to  move  very  cautiously, 
the  channel  being  entirely  unknown.  His  method 
was  to  send  a  boat  forward  eight  or  ten  miles  at  a 
time  to  take  soundings,  and  by  this  means  to  find 

the  course  of  the  channel.     On  the  return  of  tho 
12* 


274  THE   HUDSON    RIVER. 

boat,  if  the  report  was  favorable  and  the  wind  was 
fair,  the  vessel  advanced,  following  the  track  thus 
marked  out.  In  this  manner  the  ship  went  grad 
ually  on  till  it  passed  Tappaan  Bay  and  the  High 
lands,  and  had  ascended  to  some  considerable  dis 
tance  beyond.  At  length  Captain  Hudson  arrived 
at  a  point  of  the  river  so  high  that  the  boat,  in 
returning  from  its  reconnoisance,  reported  that  it 
was  not  safe  to  proceed  any  further.  Captain 
Hudson  then  turned  his  course  again  down  the 
stream.  The  boat  went  up  twenty  or  thirty  miles 
above  the  highest  point  reached  by  the  ship. 

INTERCOURSE  WITH  THE  INDIANS. 

Captain  Hudson  found  the  banks  of  the  river 
occupied  by  Indian  settlements  all  the  way,  and  he 
had  a  great  deal  of  intercourse  with  the  natives 
both  in  going  and  returning.  They  came  out  to 
visit  the  ship  very  often  in  their  canoes,  and  some 
times  the  numbers  that  came  was  so  great  that  it 
was  thought  not  prudent  to  admit  them  on  board. 
In  fact,  Captain  Hudson  deemed  it  necessary  to  be 
continually  on  his  guard  against  any  act  of  treach 
ery  or  surprise,  or  other  hostile  movements  which 
they  might  attempt;  for,  although  they  professed 
great  friendship,  and  brought  many  articles  to  the 
ship  to  exchange  for  what  the  white  men  could 


THE   HUDSON    RIVER.  275 

give  them,  it  was  perfectly  well  understood  that 
their  friendship  could  not  be  relied  upon  for  a 
moment  if  they  should  once  find  that  the  intruders, 
as  they  must,  of  course,  have  considered  them, 
were  in  their  power. 


AN   INDIAN   PUT   TO   THE   TEST. 


On  one  occasion  the  company  on  board  the  ship 
resorted  to  an  artifice  that  is  often  employed  in 
highly  civilized  life  for  the  purpose  of  discovering 
secrets,  with  a  view  to  ascertain  whether  a  certain 
party  of  Indians  were  covertly  entertaining  any 
hostile  intentions  against  them,  and  that  was  by 
making  one  of  the  principal  chiefs  tipsy.  They 
selected  one  who,  from  his  appearance,  they  judged 
would  probably  be  communicative  when  under  the 
excitement  of  intoxicating  drink,  and  they  plied 
him  and  his  companions  so  freely  with  wine  and 
brandy — paying  special  attention  to  him  in  their 
offerings — that  in  the  end  he  himself,  and  also 
some  of  the  rest,  became  completely  intoxicated. 
The  company  endeavored,  by  every  means  in  their 
power,  to  draw  from  the  tipsy  man  some  revela 
tion  of  the  designs  of  his  party,  and  continued 
their  efforts,  though  without  any  result,  as  long  as 
any  intelligence  remained  in  him.  At  length  theii 
poor  victim  sank  into  a  state  of  complete  insen- 


276  THE    HUDSON    RIVER. 

sibility,  and  remained  in  that  condition  many 
hours,  greatly  to  the  amazement  and  concern  of 
his  friends. 


MODESTY   OF   THE   WOMEN. 


In  several  instances  during  this  voyage  the 
chiefs  brought  their  wives  with  them  to  see  the 
ships.  Captain  Hudson  and  his  men  were  much 
struck  with  the  modesty  and  propriety  of  demeanor 
which  these  female  visitors  observed  while  in  the 
presence  of  the  strangers.  They  sat  quietly  and 
decently,  he  said,  and  were  in  all  respects  as 
modest  and  gentle  in  their  manners  as  any  of  the 
most  high-bred  ladies  in  England  would  have  been 
in  paying  a  visit  to  a  foreign  vessel  in  an  English 
harbor. 

APPROACH   TO   THE    HIGHLANDS   IN   DESCENDING   THE   RIVER. 

The  attention  of  Captain  Hudson  was  strongly 
attracted  to  the  appearance  of  the  Highlands  as  he 
approached  them  in  coming  down  the  river.  He 
notes  the  smooth  and  beautiful  appearance  of  the 
country  above  the  line  where  the  mountains  com 
mence,  and  the  suddencss  of  the  change  which  here 
takes  place  in  the  whole  character  of  the  scenery, 
the  narrow,  tortuous  and  dangerous  channel,  bor 
dered  by  lofty  mountains  rising  from  the  very 


THE   HUDSON    RIVER.  277 

brink  of  the  water,  the  angular  turns  which  the 
river  makes,  and  the  sharp  rocks  and  bold  pro 
montories  which  here  and  there  project  into  the 
stream. 

The  vessel  arrived  at  the  borders  of  the  High 
lands  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  but  as 
the  tide  was  at  the  ebb  at  that  time,  and  the  day 
was  somewhat  spent.  Captain  Hudson  did  not  think 
it  safe  to  proceed  that  night,  but  came  to  anchor, 
in  order  to  wait  until  the  next  morning  before 
going  on,  li  for  the  reason,"  as  he  said,  "  that  the 
land  hath  many  high  points  and  narrow  channells, 
which  occasion  many  eddie  winds.  So  we  rode 
quietly  all  night  in  seven  fathoms  water." 

The  next  morning  the  wind  blew  up  the  river 
very  fresh,  and  Captain  Hudson  deemed  it  unsafe 
to  attempt  to  pass  through  the  mountains.  So 
he  remained  at  his  anchorage  all  that  day,  look 
ing  at  the  towering  summits  before  him,  and  re 
ceiving  from  time  to  time  different  parties  of  In 
dians  from  the  neighborhood,  who  came  in  their 
canoes  to  visit  the  ship. 

As  for  "the  mountaynes,"  they  looked,  as  he 
thought,  "  as  if  some  metall  or  minerall  were  in 
them.  For  the  trees  that  grow  on  them  were  all 
blasted,  and  some  of  the  mountaynes  were  barren, 
with  few  or  no  trees  on  them." 


278  THE   HUDSON    RIVER. 


AN   I3TDIAN   CHIEF. 

After  remaining  a  day  and  two  nights  weather 
bound  at  the  entrance  to  the  Highlands,  Captain 
Hudson  found  the  wind  fair  on  the  morning  of  the 
third  day,  and  he  accordingly  then  made  sail  and 
continued  his  voyage  down.  The  distance,  as  he 
calculated  it,  was  about  twenty  miles.  When  the 
Highland  region  had  been  safely  passed,  Captain 
Hudson  came  to  anchor  again,  and  many  Indians 
from  the  mountain  region  came  on  board  the 
vessel,  wondering  at  the  magnitude  of  the  ship, 
and  at  the  weapons  possessed  by  the  white  men. 

When  the  ship  set  sail  again,  to  continue  her 
voyage  down  the  river,  the  pilot  observed  that 
among  other  canoes  hovering  near  there  was  one 
with  a  single  man  in  it.  which  followed  close  be 
hind,  keeping  all  the  time  under  the  stern.  The 
men  on  board  made  signs  to  this  man  again  and 
again,  ordering  him  to  go  away,  but  he  did  not 
heed  them,  and  finally,  watching  an  opportunity 
when  he  was  not  observed,  he  climbed  up  by  the 
rudder  into  the  cabin  windows  and  stole  the  pil 
lows  from  the  Captain's  berth,  and  several  articles 
of  clothing.  He  succeeded  in  getting  off  with 
these  things  unobserved,  and  in  taking  them  down 
on  board  his  canoe  by  the  same  way  that  he  had 


THE   HUDSON   RIVER.  279 

come  up.  The  mate  of  the  vessel  saw  him.  how 
ever,  as  he  was  paddling  away  with  his  booty,  and 
seizing  a  gun,  fired  at  him.  The  ball  struck  him 
in  the  breast  and  killed  him  on  the  spot. 

There  were  at  the  same  time  a  number  of  In 
dians  on  board  the  ship,  or  in  canoes  alongside, 
and  when  they  saw  their  countryman  killed,  they 
immediately  fled.  Those  that  were  in  the  vessel 
leaped  overboard  and  escaped  by  swimming,  while 
those  that  were  in  the  canoes  began  at  once  to 
paddle  away  in  all  directions. 

At  the  same  time  the  ship's  boat  was  manned, 
and  a  party  was  sent  off  to  the  canoe  in  which  the 
dead  body  of  the  thief  was  lying,  in  order  to  re 
cover  the  stolen  goods.  While  they  were  going 
toward  the  canoe,  one  of  the  Indians  that  was 
swimming  in  the  water  came  up  and  seized  the 
boat  by  the  gunwale,  and  commenced  rocking  it 
to  and  fro,  in  order  to  upset  it.  Seeing  this,  a 
boatman  seized  a  sword  and  cut  off  one  of  the 
man's  hands  at  a  blow.  The  poor  savage  fell  back 
from  the  boat,  disabled  as  he  was  by  the  wound, 
and  overcome  with  agony  and  terror,  he  sank  into 
the  water  and  rose  no  more. 

END   OP   THE   VOYAGE   IN   THE  RIVER. 

At  length,  after   the  lapse  of  about  five  weeks 


280  THE    HUDSON   RIVER. 

from  the  time  of  entering  the  river,  Captain  Hud 
son  reached  the  mouth  of  it  again  on  his  return. 
He  experienced  some  difficulty  in  getting  safely  out 
to  sea,  having,  of  course,  no  chart,  and  no  proper 
means,  except  by  sending  a  boat  out  beforehand  to 
take  soundings,  for  finding  the  channels.  He  con 
sequently  lost  his  way  in  some  degree  among  the 
shoals  and  sand-bars,  and  finally  found  himself  in 
considerable  danger  of  running  aground.  He, 
however,  went  cautiously  on,  and  at  length  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  into  deep  water. 

"  By  twelve  of  the  clocke,"  says  the  original 
narrator  of  this  story,  "we  were  cleere  of  the  in 
let.  Then  we  tooke  in  our  boat  and  set  our  mayne- 
sayle  and  sprit- say le  and  our  top- say les,  and  steered 
away  east  south-east  and  south-east  by  east,  off 
into  the  mayne  sea." 

SUBSEQUENT   HISTORY  OF  HUDSON. 

In  the  year  1610,  Hudson  made  another  voyage 
to  the  American  shores — a  voyage  that  terminated 
in  the  most  disastrous  manner.  A  very  full  and 
graphic  account  of  all  that  happened  was  written 
by  one  of  the  ship's  company,  and  a  more  piteous 
tale  of  distress  and  suffering  than  this  narrative 
presents  it  would  be  impossible  for  any  imagination 
to  conceive. 


THE    HUDSON    RIVER.  281 

The  vessel,  after  encountering  the  usual  dangers 
and  vicissitudes  of  such  a  voyage,  at  length  became 
beset  in  the  ice,  and  was  borne  away  so  far  by  the 
drift  of  the  floes,  and  detained  so  long  by  this  im 
prisonment,  and  by  contrary  winds,  that  the  pro 
visions  fell  short,  and  the  scarcity  increased  to  such 
a  degree  that  at  length  it  was  evident  that  there 
was  not  food  enough  remaining  to  maintain  the 
men,  even  on  the  most  stinted  allowance,  during 
the  time  necessary  for  returning  to  England.  This 
rotate  of  things  plunged  the  whole  company  into 
the  greatest  despondency. 


HENRY  GREEXE. 


Besides  the  suffering  and  danger  resulting  from 
this  scarcity  of  provisions,  insubordination  and  dis 
cord  reigned  supreme  on  board  the  ship.  Captain 
Hudson  seemed  to  have  his  men  very  little  under 
his  command.  He  had  a  young  man  on  board  named 
Henry  Greene,  who  acted  as  his  secretary,  and 
was  in  some  sense  his  favorite.  Greene  was  an 
unprincipled  and  desperate  man,  dissipated  and 
vicious.  He  was  not  regularly  one  of  the  ship's 
company — his  name  not  being  on  the  books.  He 
was  taken  on  board  on  the  private  responsibility  of 
Captain  Hudson,  who,  for  some  reason  or  other, 
had  taken  a  fancy  to  him.  The  rest  of  the  com' 


282  THE   HUDSON   RIVER. 

pany  were  jealous  of  Greene,  and  of  the  favoritism 
with  which  the  captain  treated  him.  Some  of 
their  complaints  were  based  on  grounds  which 
would  seem  to  be  of  an  extremely  frivolous  charac 
ter,  but  the  animosity  and  hatred  which  they  engen 
dered  were  none  the  less  decided  on  that  account. 
One  of  the  most  violent  of  the  disputes  and  alter 
cations  which  occurred  commenced  in  a  difficulty 
that  arose  out  of  the  disposition  made  of  the 
clothes  of  a  sailor  who  had  died,  particularly  of  a 
certain  gray  cloth  gown. 

THE  GUNNER'S  GRAY  CLOTH  GOWN. 

The  gunner  died,  and  among  the  effects  that  he 
left  was  a  gray  gown  or  jacket.  It  was  the  cus 
tom  to  sell  the  clothes  and  other  property  of  the 
sailors  dying  at  sea  in  those  days,  at  the  foot  of 
the  mainmast,  to  the  highest  bidder,  and  many  of 
the  crew  were  desirous  of  purchasing  the  gown. 
But  the  captain,  in  the  exercise  of  his  favoritism, 
forestalled  them  by  making  a  bargain  with  Greene 
for  it,  at  private  sale.  This,  of  course,  greatly  in 
censed  all  the  rest  of  the  company.  They  loudly 
complained  of  the  injustice  of  the  proceeding,  and 
the  whole  ship  was  full  of  the  criminations  and  re 
criminations  of  the  different  parties  to  the  quarrel. 
It  was  amazing  that  such  a  quarrel  could  arise 


THE    HUDSON    RIVER.  283 

from  an  occurrence  like  this  in  a  ship's  company 
already  in  a  condition  of  the  deepest  distress,  and 
with  the  horrors  of  actual  starvation  closely  im 
pending  over  them. 

THE   CAPTAIN  QUARRELS   WITH   GREENE. 

After  exciting  the  enmity  of  all  the  rest  under 
his  command  by  his  undue  partiality  for  Greene, 
the  captain  ended  by  quarreling  with  Greene  him 
self,  so  as  in  effect  to  cut  himself  off  almost  en 
tirely  from  the  friendly  feeling  and  sympathy  of 
his  men.  He  had  a  difficulty  with  the  carpenter 
about  building  a  hut  on  shore.  After  hesitating 
and  delaying  a  long  time,  he  had  finally  concluded, 
when  all  hope  of  returning  to  England  for  the  sea 
son  was  gone,  to  undertake  this  work,  and  he  gave 
orders  to  the  carpenter  accordingly.  The  carpen 
ter  said  it  was  now  too  late.  The  weather  was  so 
cold  and  stormy  that  it  would  be  impossible  to 
manage  such  work.  He  could  not  and  he  would 
not  undertake  building  in  the  midst  of  so  much 
frost  and  snow.  When  Captain  Hudson  heard  this 
reply  he  abused  the  carpenter  in  the  most  violent 
manner.  He  pulled  him  out  of  his  cabin  to  beat 
him,  and  threatened  to  hang  him.  The  carpenter 
answered  that  he  knew  his  own  business,  and  that 


284  THE    HUDSON    RIVER. 

Hudson  was  the  captain  of  the  ship,  not  the  car- 
pcnter.     The  captain  went  away  in  a  rage. 

The  next  day  the  carpenter  was  going  on  shore, 
and  as  the  rule  was  that  no  one  should  go  on  shore 
alone,  Henry  Greene  went  with  him  as  his  com 
rade  and  friend.  This  the  captain  considered  as  a 
token  and  sign  that  Greene  was  disposed  to  take 
sides  with  the  carpenter  against  him,  and  this 
caused  him  to  turn  the  current  of  his  anger  from 
the  carpenter  to  Greene.  He  declared  that,  after 
all,  Greene  should  not  have  the  gray  jacket. 
Greene  urged  the  captain's  promise.  The  captain 
replied  with  bitter  vituperation.  He  told  Greene 
that  he  was  a  worthless  fellow,  and  that  the  best 
friends  he  had  in  the  world  would  not  trust  him 
for  twenty  shillings,  and  he  did  not  see  why  he 
should  be  expected  to  give  him  credit  any  more 
than  they. 


THE   MUTINY. 


It  would  make  a  very  long  story  to  relate  in 
full  the  gradual  progress  of  insubordination  and 
contention  which  ensued,  and  to  describe  the  suc 
cessive  steps  by  which  this  wretched  crew  sank 
into  those  fearful  depths  of  distress  and  misery 
which  the  continual  increase  of  cold  and  hunger 
and  their  own  terrible  quarrels  brought  upon  them. 


THE    HUDSON    RIVER.  285 

The  end  was,  that  after  passing  through  scenes  of 
violence  and  suffering  too  dreadful  to  be  described, 
a  portion  of  the  crew,  headed  by  Greene,  formed  a 
conspiracy  to  put  the  captain,  and  with  him  all  the 
sick  and  dying  men  on  board  the  ship,  eight  in 
number,  into  a  boat  and  leave  them  in  the  open 
sea,  while  they  themselves  attempted  to  make  their 
way  to  England. 

The  scene  presented  on  board  the  vessel  when 
the  mutineers  rose  to  carry  this  scheme  into  effect, 
and  were  engaged  in  putting  the  men  on  board 
the  boat,  was  horrible  in  the  extreme.  Some  of 
their  victims  submitted  quietly  in  silent  despair. 
Others  resisted  with  all  the  strength  that  remained 
to  them,  making  frantic  efforts  and  uttering  pierc 
ing  cries.  Two  of  the  wretched  men  had  friends 
among  the  crew,  who  endeavored  to  make  their 
cases  exceptions,  and  this  led  to  violent  disputes 
among  the  mutineers  themselves,  some  declaring 
that  these  men  should  not  go,  others  swearing 
with  horrid  imprecations  that  they  should  go,  and 
offering  to  fight,  if  necessary,  in  order  to  carry 
their  determination  into  effect. 

Captain  Hudson,  who  had  been  seized  and  se 
cured  at  the  outset,  had  his  hands  tied  behind  him, 
and  was  compelled  to  submit  helplessly  to  what 
ever  his  reckless  enemies  chose  to  do. 


286  THE   HUDSON   RIVER. 


THE   LAST   THAT   WAS   EVER   KNOWX   OF    CAPTAIN   HUDSON. 

When  all  the  men  were  put  on  board  the  boat, 
the  boat  itself  was  dropped  astern,  and  there  taken 
in  tow  by  the  ship  and  conveyed,  with  its  dreadful 
burden  of  suffering  and  despair,  out  of  the  bay  or 
harbor  where  these  events  had  taken  place.  Then 
she  was  cut  loose,  and  the  ship  sailed  on,  leaving 
her  to  her  fate. 

The  mutineers  did  not  abandon  the  party  in  the 
boat  in  this  manner  with  the  bare  and  naked  inten 
tion  of  murdering  them.  They  considered  that 
they  were  giving  them  at  least  a  chance  for  their 
lives.  They  furnished  them  with  some  small  sup 
ply  of  provisions,  and  the  boat  was  fitted  with  a 
sail.  They  might  possibly  find  a  refuge  among 
the  natives  somewhere  upon  the  coast  for  a  time, 
and  finally  be  saved  by  some  other  European 
vessel  visiting  those  shores.  Or,  even  if  they  fol 
lowed  the  ship  to  sea,  they  might  there  meet 
with  some  other  vessel  by  which  they  might  be 
rescued. 

One  of  the  men  who  was  to  go  in  the  boat,  in 
fact,  just  before  he  was  put  into  it,  begged  one  of 
those  on  board  the  ship  to  say  to  the  natives  at  a 
certain  place  on  the  coast,  where  the  ship  was  to 
stop  in  hopes  of  obtaining  provisions,  before  finally 


THE    HUDSON    RIVER.  287 

putting  to  sea,  that  the  boat  was  coming  on,  and  to 
ask  them  to  save  something  for  them  too.  This 
the  person  who  was  entrusted  with  the  message 
promised  that  he  would  do. 

On  the  next  day  after  the  boat  had  been  left, 
while  the  ship  was  loitering  near  the  shore,  making 
some  preliminary  arrangements  before  putting  to 
sea,  there  was  a  cry  on  board  that  the  boat  was 
coming  in  sight.  They  immediately  spread  all 
their  sails  and  hastened  on,  as  if  flying  from  an 
enemy. 

The  ship,  after  cruising  about  those  shores  for 
some  time,  seeking  for  provisions,  sailed  for  Eng 
land,  and  the  crew,  after  encountering  hardships 
and  sufferings  which  it  would  seem  impossible  for 
human  beings  to  survive,  at  length  reached  a  port 
in  Ireland,  and  a  remnant  of  them  were  saved, 
though  they  were  soon  afterward  seized  and  com 
mitted  to  prison,  to  answer  for  their  crime. 

The  boat  in  which  Captain  Hudson  had  been  left 
was  never  heard  of  more. 

CONCLUSION. 

We  have  thus  narrated  some  of  the  principal 
voyages  of  discovery  made  in  early  times  to  the 
American  shores.  It  was  the  work  of  about  a 
hundred  years  to  trace  in  this  manner  the  great 


288  THE    HUDSON    RIVER. 

leading  outlines  of  the  continent,  and  to  make  them 
known  to  the  European  world,  so  as  to  prepare 
the  way  for  the  successful  colonization  of  the 
country.  These  hundred  years  are  comprised  sub 
stantially  in  the  sixteenth  century.  The  succeed 
ing  century,  the  seventeenth,  was  devoted  mainly 
to  the  work  of  planting  the  country  thus  explored, 
with  the  germs  of  a  new  and  superior  population. 

Thus,  the  sixteenth  century  was  the  century  of 
discovery ;  the  seventeenth  that  of  settlement ;  and 
the  eighteenth  that  of  the  union  of  the  various 
political  communities  that  had  been  formed,  and 
the  establishment,  through  this  union,  of  a  grand, 
independent,  and  consolidated  empire.  The  suc 
cessive  steps  of  the  progress  by  which  this  vast 
movement  advanced  to  its  final  consummation  will 
be  developed  in  the  succeeding  volumes  of  this 
series. 


THE  END. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 


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Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


REC'D  L.D 


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JUL23 


LD  2lA-40m-ll,'63 
(E1602slO)476B 


University  of  California 

General  Library 

Berkeley 


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